and shire Sternberg OLD-MARCH beginneth at the Desert of Luneburg and so extendeth it selfe vnto the riuer Elbe It is confined with the Diocesses of Magdeburg Halberstadt and Meckelburg The inhabitants long since were the Senones Sueui and in some places also the Angriuarij with the Teutones In this coast are seuen cities of no small account Tangermundt vpon the riuer Elbe in that place where the riuer Angra or Tonagra now Tanger vnlodeth it selfe into Elbe sometime the imperiall seat of the Emperour Charles the fourth Stendal the principall citie of this shire where there is a church of S. Nicolas they call it Thumstift of regular Canons of the order of S. Barnard commonly called Ordo Cistertiensium first founded at Gistertium now called Citeauz a place in Gallia Narbonensi Soltwedel diuided into two cities the Old the New Gardeleben with a castle called Eischnippe As also Osterburg Werben and Senohuse now Sehausen so named perhaps of the Senones a people that sometime dwelt here about Arnburg with his castle situate vpon the riuer Elbe Bismarch Beuster Bueck standing not farre from the Elbe Kalbe and Neflingen which they otherwise also call Letzlingen Besides these townes it hath seuen monasteries richly endowed with temporalties and secular iurisdiction and diuers Nunries as Arntsehe Damke Diestorff Crewessen and Niendorff The breadth of this countrey being equall to the length is not aboue eight Dutch miles and yet in it are at the least 465. villages of good note MIDDLE-MARCH beginneth on the other side of the Elbe and stretcheth it selfe vnto the riuers Oder and Spre sometimes called Sueuus It is watered with the riuer Hauel and other small brooks of lesse account In former ages it was inhabited by the Sueui or Switzers The soile is very fertile especially for corne It hath many Woods Fish-ponds Pastures and Medowes as also certeine Vineyards first planted heere by Albert the Marquesse surnamed The beare Brandenburg his chiefe citie is by the riuer Hauel diuided into two parts this is called The New citie that The Olde and was so named of Brandon sometime a captaine of the Franks Here is held the generall court of iustice for the whole countrey Many priuileges and great liberties haue by emperors kings and princes been granted to this prouince a token or monument whereof is the statue or image erected in the new city holding in his hand a drawen sword whom the citizens call Rowland Not farre from this citie is the territory of Hauelan so called of the riuer Hauel that enuirons it Also the monastery of Lenin of the order of S. Bernard After Brandeburg followes Rathenaw vpon the Hauel Spandaw with a castle vpon the riuer Spree likewise Coln and Berlin seuered by the same riuer In Berlin is the Princes court at this present Berlin was so named either of Albert the Marques surnamed Bear or as others hold opinion of wild beares that haunted this place when the foundations were first laid Colne was so called of Colliers that in great numbers inhabited the same in times past or rather of the Latine word Colonia Frankford vpon Oder was anciently reckoned in the number of the Hanse-townes in which regard at this present it payes no tribute to Lubeck nor to any other cities of that association It hath three marts euery yeere Here is a College or Vniuersitie founded by Ioachim the first marques of that name in the yeere 1506. Not farre from the Abbey of Carthusians in this citie runnes a small freshet springing out of a vine-bearing hill whereinto whatsoeuer is cast hardeneth into the nature of a stone Other townes there be also as Brietzen surnamed The loyall also Belitzen and Bernaw where excellent beere is brewed Bellin seated by a foord of the little riuer Rhien Mittenwald Monnixberg Bisental Blumbergen of the diocesse of Brandeburg Botzaw with a castle Falkenhaghe with a castle sometimes belonging to the Templers Frienwald and Oderberg Here marques Albert the second of that name built a castle in the midst of the riuer to constraine passengers to pay tolle Then haue you Fridland a cloister of Nunnes with a little borough Frisach of the diocesse of Brandeburg Gereswald Grimnitz Grunheid Grunwalde and Koppenick foure parks of the Prince with castles annexed Hochelberg a village Landsberg an obscure place with a castle of great antiquitie Lichen a small towne Liebenwald with a parke Nawen Putstam a little towne with a castle Newstadt Eberswald and not farre from thence Chorin a monastery of Bernardines Mulrosa a small borough and a village Sarmunde Sconbeck with a parke Strausberg Trebin Bernewijck a little borough Zendenick a cloister of Nunnes Zossa a small borough with a castle Stendel Swet Wrusen not farre from Odera Lietzen Selow a small borough with many villages and hamlets This middle marquesat containes eight and twentie Dutch miles in bredth and so many in length NEVN-MARCH is diuided from the middle by the riuer Odera about that place where the riuer Warta falles thereinto nere the towne of Kustren The said riuer of Warta beginnes in Poland and watereth this region at the citie of Lansberg and the townes of Zandock and Sonneberg The head citie of this marquesat is Kustren reedified by the marques Iohn sonne to Ioachim the first who to his exceeding charge fortified the same and there established his court Other townes there be as Landsberg vpon Warta Koningsberg Bernwald and Bernsteine a small borough with a castle Bernwijchen and Berlinichen or the towne of New Berlin Then haue you the citie of Arnswald the borough of Thame Soldin whilome the principall citie Furnstenfield a small borough Dramburg Driesen Falkenberg the towne and castle situate on the confines of Pomerlandt also Himelstedt a cloister of Nunnes Kalis a village Kartaw and Lepen two little boroughs Morgenwald an Abbey Morni a small towne Nieuberg a village Nurnberg Reitz with an abbey of the knights of the Rhodes Quartzen containing the palaces of noblemen Schiffelben a towne that beares the name for good beere and excellent Armorers Moreouer you haue Osmund Sconflis Woldenberg a small borough Sciltberg a village Zeden a little towne with a monasterie and Zandock a petie borough vpon the riuer Warta The circuit of this new marquezat is about foure and twenty Dutch miles Now the whole marquezat of Brandeburg with the regions aboue mentioned thereunto subiect containeth fiue and fifty cities of importance threescore and foure townes sixteene boroughs commonly called Marcktflecken eight and thirtie castles or noble mens houses ten parks seuenteene monasteries of men and women This region also yeeldeth Corall the Eagle-stone or the Aetites and the saffron-coloured stone called Schistus with other gemmes of no lesse account Thus much out of the Dutch discourse of Wolfangus Iobstius You may reade also Munster and Irenicus and Dauid Chytraeus his storie of Saxonie BRANDEBVRGENSIS MARCHAE DESCRIPTIO Marchionatus hic primum erectus fuit ab Henrico I. Imperatore ao. 923. fuitue eius primus marchio nomine
High Dutch Luyck in Latine Leodium Coelen so called by the inhabitants in French Coloigne and in Latine Colonia Agrippina Dordrecht by contraction we call Dort in Latine Dordracum Macheien in Latine Mechlinia and in French Malines Tournay in High Dutch Dornicke and in Latine Tornacum Arras in French Atrecht in Flemish and in Latine Atrebates Mabeuge in Latine they call Malbodium Tienen in French Tilemont Namur the Brabanters call Namen in Latine Namurcum Maestricht and by contraction Tricht is by ancient Latine writers named Traiectum ad Mosam Viset in High Dutch Weset S. Truyen in French Centron Thionuille in French Ditenhosen in High Dutch and in Latine Theodonis villa Terrewanen and Terrenborch in Flemish Terouenne in French Tarnanna in ancient Latine writers It was wont to be the seat of a Bishop but now it hath the name only Gulick in French Iuliers in Latine Iuliacum Mons the Flemings call Bergen Geersberge which I heare is also called S. Adrians and in French Grammont Ioudoigne those Brabanters that speake High Dutch call Geldenaken Gemblours an abbey with a small citie in Latine Gemblacum Soigni in French in Flemish Senneke Halle in French Nostre Dame de Hault Cortrijck Courtray in French Cortracum in Latine Coomene in French Comines The riuer Maese in French is called Mense and in Latine Mosa The riuer Scheldt in French Escault is by Iulius Caesar and Plinie called Scaldis The riuer Liege in French is in Flemi h named Leye DESCRIPTIO GERMANIAE INFERIORIS The Dukedome of LVTZENBVRG THis region as we see many others is so named of Lutzenburg the principall citie but why it should be thus called we cannot easilie coniecture At first it went vnder the title of an Earledome and afterward was aduanced to the dignitie of a Dukedome and so till this present continueth Some say it was thus aduanced by Wenceslaus King of the Romans others by Charles the fourth howbeit Conradus Vercerius ascribes it to Henry the seuenth the first Romane Emperour of that family I finde in ancient manuscripts that the first Earle of Lutzenburg was one Sigisfridus and that he was the sonne of Tacuinus Duke of Maesland In former times Lutzenburg was part of Triers It stretcheth from the wood Arduenna to Mosella a riuer by Ausonius much celebrated The countries bordering vpon this Prouince are part of France Loraigne Metz Triers Mamure and Liege It is in most places mountainous and woodie but here and there also well manured and of late we see their woods euery where turned vp and conuerted into most fruitfull fields The people are for the greatest part Dutch and yet their countrie ioyneth hard vpon France and they are accustomed to the language and fashions of the French This Dukedome conteineth in compasse as saith Guicciardin seuentie of our Flemish miles Within it are seuen Earledomes many Baronies and great store of gentlemen Cities there are with stone walles to the number of twentie three besides those that the furie of warre hath layd desolate with 1168. villages and sundrie castles of importance The principall citie is called Lutzenburg or Lucemburg for I find it both wayes written but without any choice because both the true maner of writing and the deriuation is vncertaine Some thinke of the riuer Elza running by this citie which perhaps was Antoninus his Alizontia that it might be called Elzenburg and corruptly Lelzenburg Others referre it to the fabulous historie of the Inchantresse Melusina But my purpose is neither to proue nor disproue such opinions Here resideth the chiefe Counsell and the highest Court of iustice The citie is of sufficient force but vnequally situate for standing partly on a hill and partly in a lowe and steepe valley it appeares of a very vneuen shape Then haue you Arlune standing on the top of a hill a towne very beautifull where at this present are found sundry monuments of antiquitie which Count Peter Ernestus hath caused to be transported to his stately Palace in the citie of Lutzenburg Some are of opinion that the Moone in time past was here after a Gentilish maner adored and that it was called Arlune quasi Ara lunae that is the altar of the moone Others imagine that these cities following borowed their names also from the residue of the planets as Iuosium commonly Iuoix from Ioue or Iupiter Sathenacum now Soleure from Saturne Virtonium alias Verton from Venus Maruilla or Maruille from Mars Malmedium Malmedi from Mercurie Some interpret Malmedi Montem maledictum The accursed mountaine saying that it was so called because here the Emperour Valentinian lost his armie Next followes Rademacherne Also Thion-uille on the banke of Mosella it is the fortresse of the whole region and a towne most defensible against all hostile attempts Grauenmachern and Coningsmachern two small townes situate vpon the same riuer Dechrij stands vpon the riuer Saur Echternach containing a famous Abbey Vinden likewise Also the towne of Bastoigne the principall mart of the whole region standing neere the wood Arduenna Here you haue in like sort Naufchastelle Danuiller la Roche and Durbis townes not altogether vnworthie to be mentioned as likewise Sant Vit Marche Chiney and Ferta All which are more amply described by Guicciardin Regino in his second booke makes mention of mount Adromare about Thion-uille where Charlemaigne was wont to ride a hunting More concerning this region you may reade in our Itinerarium or Iournall LVTZENBVRGEN SIS DVCATVS VERISS DESCRIPT Iacobo Surhonio Montano auctore Cum Priuilegio Imp. Regiae Maiestatuum GVELDERLAND GVELDERLAND the seat of the ancient Sicambri as most Writers are of opinion hath to the North thereof Frisland together with an inlet of the German sea commonly called Suiderzee East it confineth vpon the Duchy of Cleue South vpon Gulick and West it affronteth Brabant and Holland It is a champian countrey destitute of mountaines but all ouer replenished with woods and groues It aboundeth with all necessaries especially with corne and their greene ranke medowes yeeld such plentie of feed for cattell as euen out of the farthest part of Denmarke they bring hither their starued droues for succour It is watered with three famous riuers namely Rhijne Maese and VVaele It conteineth the countie of Zutphen and the region called De Veluvve The Veluwe is almost an isle which being situate betweene a branch of Rhijn that runnes by Arnhem and the riuer Yssel stretcheth to the Suyder sea it is meanly fruitfull and not altogether void of woods mountaines and hilles Some thinke that the inhabitants of this place were woont to be called Caninfates The Dukedome of Guelders hath two and twentie cities compassed with walles and ditches and aboue three hundred villages Nieumegen vpon the VVaele is the Metropolitan a citie very populous and gallantly built famous in regard of the mint that is there The greatest part of the citizens vsing trade of merchandize are exceeding rich The territory of this citie is adorned with the title of a Kingdome Next
followes Ruremonde situate where the riuer Roer falles into the Maese It hath in my remembrance beene a Bishopricke Zutphen at the mouth of the riuer Berkel where it dischargeth it selfe into Yssel It beares the title of an Earledome It hath a rich College of Canons and is vnder the iurisdiction of the Bishop of Munster Arnhen stands vpon the banke of Rhijne This is the seat of the high Court of iustice and of the Chancery The Clergie of this towne are subiect to the Bishop of Vtrecht HATTEM a towne well fortified vpon the riuer Yssel ELBVRG on the shore of the Zuyder sea HARDERVVIIK vpon the same shore Heere likewise you haue WAGENING TIEL BOMMEL BRONCHORST DOESBVRG DOTECHEM SHEERENBERG gouerned by a peculiar prince vnder the name of an Earledome LOCHEN GROLL BREDEVORD GELRE which perhaps gaue name to the whole region STRAELEN VENLO a towne vpon the banke of Maese fortified both by arte and nature WACHTENDVNCK of ancient times the city of Hercules in the Dukedome of Iuliers Besides these there are other small townes of note which though now either by furie of warre or iniurie of time they are vnwalled yet they doe enioy the freedomes and priuileges of cities Their names be Keppel Burg Genderen Bateburg Monteford Echt Culeburg and Buren both which haue a peculiar Lord as Bateburg also Vnder Earle Ottho the third this region was mightily inlarged for he compassed with walles and endowed with priuileges the townes of Ruremond Arnhem Harderwijk Bemel Goch and VVagening which till that time had remained villages In the Chronicle of Iohn Reigersbeg written in Dutch I finde this region in the time of Carolus Caluus to haue beene called by the name of Ponthis and that it was by him in the yeere 878. erected to a Signiorie Then in the yeere 1079. this Signiorie of Ponthis was by Henrie the third adorned with the title of an Earledome and called the Earledome of Guelders and the first Earle thereof was Otto à Nassau It went vnder the name of an Earledome till Reinhold the second But whenas this Reinhold not only for his valour and mightinesse grew terrible to his neighbours but renowmed in regard of his iustice his piety and fidelity towards the Roman empire he was at Frankford in a solemne and royal assembly by Lewes the Emperour consecrated Duke in presence of the King of England the French King and the Princes Electours in the yeere of our Lord 1339. Some say that in the time of the Emperour Carolus Caluus towards that place where the towne of Gelre now standeth there was a strange and venimous beast of huge bignesse and monstrous crueltie feared all the countrey ouer which lay for the most part vnder an Oake This monster wasted the fields deuoured cattell great and small and abstained not from men The inhabitants affrighted with the noueltie and vncouthnesse of the matter abandoned their habitations and hid themselues in desert and solitarie places A certaine Lord of Ponth had two sonnes who partly tendring their owne estate and partly also the distresse of their neighbours assailed the beast with singular policie and courage and after a long combat slew him The said Lord therefore not farre from the Maese vpon the banke of Nierson for the perpetuall memorie of his sonnes exploit built a castle which he called Gelre because when the beast was slaine he often yelled with a dreadfull roaring noise Gelre Gelre from whence they say began the name of the Guelders Thus much out of the Chronicle of Henry Aquilius a Guelder borne More concerning this Prouince you may reade in Francis Irenicus but a most large description hereof you shall finde in Guicciardin GELRIAE CLIVIAE FINITIMORVMQVE LOCORVM VERISSIMA DESCRIPTIO Christiano Schrot Auctore The Bishopricke of LIEGE IT is a common and constant opinion that those which we now call Leodienses or Ligeois are a German people named of old Eburones A relique or monument of which ancient name remaineth as yet in the village Ebure a German mile distant from the city of Liege And this very place as I suppose is described by Dion lib. 40. vnder the name Eburonia Howbeit certaine it is that the iurisdiction of Liege stretcheth much farther than that of the Eburones did of olde Of the Eburones mention is made by Strabo Caesar and Florus Dion calles them Eburos and late Writers barbarously terme them Eburonates Themselues in their mother tongue which is a kinde of broken French they call Ligeois but in high Dutch Lutticher and Luyckenaren The deriuation of Eburones Leodienses whoso desires to know I refer him to the antiquities of Goropius Becanus and to a small pamphlet of Hubert Leodius This region taketh vp a great part of ancient Lorraigne for it containes vnder the name of the diocesse of Liege the dukedome of Bouillon the marquesat of Franckmont the countie of Haspengow and Loots and many Baronies In this region besides Maestright halfe wherof is subiect to the Duke of Brabant there are foure and twentie walled cities a thousand seuen hundred Villages with Churches and many Abbeys and Signiories The names of the cities are these following Liege vpon Maese the seat of a Bishop after which all the whole countrey is named Bouillon Franchemont Loots Borchworm Tungeren Huy Hasselt Dinant Masac Stoch Bilsen S. Truden Viset Tuin Varem Bering Herck Bree Pera Hamont Chiney Fosse and Couin as Guicciardin doth both name and number them Moreouer Placentius writeth that part of Maestright was added to this diocesse by the donation of Pori Earle of Louaine The territorie of this citie is called the countie of Maesland in the ancient records of Seruatius abbey built here by King Arnulphus in the yeere 889. Now this countie is vsually called Haspengow It is a region exceeding pleasant and fertile of all things especially on the North part where it ioyneth to Brabant for there it aboundeth with corne and all kinde of fruits and in some places it yeeldeth wine But on the South frontiers towards Lutzenburg and France it is somewhat more barren mountainous and ouerspred with woods here yet being some remainder of Arduenna the greatest forest in all France as Caesar writeth This is the outward hiew of the country but in the entrals and bowels thereof it is enriched with mettals and sundry kinds of marbles as also with sea-coales which they burne in stead of fewell and all these so surpassing good as in a common prouerbe they vsually say that they haue bread better than bread fire hotter than fire and iron harder than iron By their iron than which all the prouinces around vse neither better nor indeed any other they raise a great reuenue Nor with any other more forcible fire do the Smithes and Bearebrewers in all this part of the Low countries heat their furnaces than with these minerall coales of Liege which are of so strange a nature as water increaseth their flame but oile puts it out The smell of this fire or smoke
Henricus Olim enim sub ducibus Saxoniae erat BVCHAVIA or BVCHONIA IN this prouince standeth the Abbey of Fuld concerning the originall and situation whereof thus writeth Munster FVLDA is the head city of that part of Germanie which in times past some called Buchonia others the forest or desert of Buchauia namely of Beech-trees wherefore at this present we call it Fagoniam and Fagunetum And that this name is deriued of Fagus a beech the name of a towne therein called Fag or Fach not farre from the high hill Taurus doth plainly import This region is situate betweene Turingen Frankenlandt Hesse and Wederaugia bordering on the confines of all the said regions and lying as it were in the center of them For townes castles villages riuers pooles woods fields hortyards sweet fountaines and fruitfull soile so farre forth as the asperitie of these regions may affourd it is none of the meanest parts of Germanie notwithstanding it beareth no vines at all The riuers are Fuld whereof the city that it runnes by is called Fuld Hun Guerra and Vlster The whole countrey is full of woods abounding with oaks and beeches The little villages neere the city they call Celles in token of the order of the Benedictins there dwelling in times past But the chiefe grace and ornament of this region is the ancient and magnificent Church of S. Sauiour which the memory of S. Boniface makes most renowmed by whose meanes the city of Fulda was first built and inlarged being before but a waste wildernesse For this being the Church of that most ancient monastery was before the towne anno 655. erected in the time of the Emperour Pipin father to Charlemaigne More you may reade in Sebastian Munster Sundry particulars also concerning the originall of this Abbey and the deeds of the Abbats you shall find in the Chronography of Valentine Muntzer published in Dutch where he saith that the ground-plot of this city of Fulda before the building thereof was called Eulenloch that is The den of Owles And where the Abbey of S. Peter now standeth it was of old named Eulenbergh or The hill of Owles THE COVNTIE OF WALDECK THis Countie containeth a part of Hesse it is a fruitfull region and watered with many riuers the principall whereof abounding with fish is called Eder and is sayd to yeeld graines of gold Then haue you also the riuers Dimel Twist Ahra Vrba and Ither The soile affourds both corne and wine Also it hath mines of siluer quick-siluer copper lead salt and alume The principall places are the city and castle of Waldeck which giueth name to the whole region Astinchusen Dudinchusen Landawe a city and castle with the towne and castle of Mengerhusen where the Earle at this present holds his court the towne and castle of Roden in the territory whereof is much hunting Wetterburg a castle most pleasantly situate betweene Twist and Ahra the old and new towne of Wildung distinct both in name and place neere vnto which are certaine mines that yeeld both golde copper and siluer Here are likewise fountaines of sower water And here they brew the best beere in all the countrey The castle of Eisenburg in the fields whereof as at Wildung is digged vp gold and yron mine Here also they dig a kinde of stones which they burne in stead of coales The castle of Eilhusen most gallantly seated and diuided by a riuer from Vrba Corbach a strong city the castle and towne of Newburg the castle Ither and the monastery of Werben c. BVCHAVIAE siue FVLDENSIS DITIONIS TYPVS Wolfgango Regrwill auctore 1574. WALDECCENSIS COMITATVS DESCRIPTIO ACCVRATISSIMA Cum Priuilegio Caes. et Reg. M t s decennali Iustus Moers describ Anno. 1575. The Dukedomes of BRVNSWIICK and LVNENBVRG THese two regions are at this present subiect to one Prince They are both named of the principall cities Brunswijck and Lunenburg The city of Brunswijck was about the yeere 860. built by Bruno the sonne of Ludolphus who as Crantzius saith first erected a street or borough calling it Brunonis vicus whereupon the whole citie hath euer since beene called Brunswijck A place of great renowme situate in the midst of Saxonie vpon the riuer Onadri which falles into the Weser The beginnings of this towne were small Howbeit in processe of time and by degrees it is now growen to such state riches and strength as the Princes thereof are worthily called Dukes of Brunswijck But it was very long first For of ancient times they bare only the title of Lords but vnder Frederick the Emperour in the yeere 1235 renewing their stile they were ordained Dukes This is one of the seuentie Hanse-townes From which societie by a generall Councell of all the said townes held at Lubeck anno 1381 they were excluded in regard of a most cruell and bloudy sedition wherein the greatest part of their Aldermen they slue and the rest they banished And so they were depriued of the benefit of the said societie for eight yeeres vntill they had done publike penance and satisfaction From which time they were admitted anew into the said incorporation of the Hanse that is to say to be partakers of all priuileges granted by Princes and gouernours of former times to all that were free of the said societie in those foure famous marts to wit London in England Bruges in Flanders Bergen in Norway and Nouogrod in Russia Their tutelary saint or protectour they holde to be S. Anthor the Confessor whilome Bishop of Triers For the honour of whose body because it could not be brought within their city walles they erected a monastery vnder the title of S. Giles then neere vnto the walles but now the city being inlarged within the same Thus much out of Crantzius his story of Saxonie and Wandalia The praise of this citie you may finde in Aeneas Siluius his 23. chap. of Europe The citie of LVNEBVRG built about the yeere of Christ 1190. vpon an hill named Calcarium was so called not as the ignorant imagine from Idolum lunae the idol of the moone which Iulius Caesar or I wot not who did there consecrate for this is but an old wiues tale but from a place not farre off by the riuer Elmenou called Luna where there hath for many yeeres continued a cloister of Nunnes It is a citie of great strength enuironed with ditches and walles The citizens greatest traffique is for salt for here are most plentifull and rich salt-pits out of which they raise exceeding gaines For salt is here boiled in great quantitie and vented from hence both by sea and land to Hamborough Lubeck and other places These salt-mines were first found in the yeere of Christ 1269. This city of Luneburg with the territory adiacent is in a peculiar Treatise described by Lucas Lossius Of Hildesheim fiue miles distant from Brunswijck M. Antonie Mockerus a citizen thereof hath written also a peculiar discourse In this Table vpon the riuer Weser or Visurgis stands the citie of
Nigra and that of Switta whereon standeth the city Brin next in dignity to Olmuntz also Thaysa which glideth along by the city Znaim famous for the death of Sigismund the Emperour and lastly Igla passing by the city Igla rendreth vp his owne and his neighbours substance to the great and renowmed Danubius But the riuer Odera springing not far from Olmuntz retaineth his name to the Ocean sea Some thinke it is called by Ptolemey Viadrus Odera is so named of a word borrowed from fowlers which call their watch-towers for the spying and taking of birds Odri and such towers you haue now in Morauia at the fountaine of Odera Neither must we heere omit the riuer Hana which albeit sometimes scant of water yet doth it so moisten the neighbour-fields being thereby the fertilest in all the region as the husbandmen in regard of their plentifull increase call them the fat of Morauia Here also more than in other places are found the siluer and gold coines of M. Antoninus of Commodus and other Emperours Which is a manifest argument of ancient warres betweene the forces of the Empire and the Marcomans in these parts This one thing is most worthy the admiration that in Morauia there is a kind of Frankincense Myrrhe not distilling out of trees as in other countries but digged from vnder the ground in one place only called Gradisco where till this present is found not only Frankincense called Male frankincense in regard of the resemblance it hath with the priuie parts of man but also in the shape of other members both of man and woman And of late VVenceslaus of the noble family surnamed à Quercu as he was making a foundation for the banke of a fish-poole in his field of Sterenberg he found the intire body of a man consisting all of Myrrhe the which distributing vnto his friends and remembring me among the rest bestowed on me more than halfe an arme which I vsed often for a perfume The inner part of the region is arable an exceeding fertile and fat soile and most apt for corne as the hilles for vines being more fauourable to Bacchus than the hilles of Bohemia wherefore it excelleth for abundance of good wine And it is so generally manured and hath such plentie of husbandmen that vnlesse it be in forests and desert places heere is no pasture at all for the feeding of cattell For the rest both in speech fashions and customes they are like the Bohemians Hitherto Dubrauius In the yeere 895. the people of this region were instructed in the Christian faith by S. Methodius at the procurement of Arnulphus the Emperour Vnder the Emperour Henry the fourth in the yeere 1086. this countrey together with Lusatia and Silesia was annexed to the kingdome of Bohemia Their language is mixt for the greatest part speake Bohemian and the high Dutch is vsed only in cities among persons of best account This Prouince as Dubrauius writeth yeelds plentie of wine but not of the strongest such saith Rithaimerus and I my selfe haue so found it by experience as exempteth not the drinker quite from care Duglossus in his Polonian storie saith that the name of the riuer Odera signifies in the Henetian tongue inundation or robbery Olmuntz the head citie of this region and the seat of a Bishop is described by Stephanus Taurinus in his Stauromachia Concerning Morauia besides Dubrauius reade Aeneas Siluius in his Bohemian story This Map of Morauia first drawen by Fabricius but afterward corrected by diuers gentlemen of the countrey was sent me by Iohn Crato Counseller and principall Physician to the Emperour Maximilian the second a bountifull fauourer of these my studies He gaue me also this catalogue of townes called both by German and Bohemian names The Dutch names The Bohemian names Behemsche Triebaw Trzebowa Czeska Landskron Landskraun Schirmberg Semanin Sciltperg Ssilperck Hanstadt Zabrzch Zwittaw Swittawa Merherische Tribaw Trzebowa Morawska Neustadt Nowy Miesto Deutstbrodt Niemeckybrod Iglau Cziblawa Budwers Budegowice Weissenkirch Hranitza Plos Pzin Drosendorff Drosdowice Freyen Vranow Schtignitz Trztenice Holsterlitz Hosteradice Mislicz Moristaw Ioslwitz Iaroslaiwice Dayex Diakowice Grustpach Hrussowamy Maydpurgk Dewczihrady Auspitz Hustopecz Nuslau Nosyslaw Tischain Itza Schwartz Wasser Strumen Selowitz Zidlochowice Brin Brno Olmutz Holomane Prostnitz Proslegew Wischa Wyskow Austerlitz Slawkow Kremfier Kromerziz Vngerischbrod Vherskybrod Goeding Hodomin Lumpenburg Brzetislaw Altmarck Podiwin Ostra Ostracia MORAVIAE QVAE OLIM MARCOMANNORVM SEDES COROGRAPHIA A. D. PAVLO FABRITIO MEDICO ET MATHEMATICO DESCRIPTA ET A GENEROSIS MORAVIAE BARONIBVS QVIBVSDAM CORRECTA AVSTRIA or AVSTRICH GEORGE RITHAYMER in his Abridgement of the situation of the world describeth Austrich vnder the name of Pannony the higher in these words Pannony the higher saith he toward the East abbutteth vpon the riuer Leyth Ptolemey maketh the riuer Rab his Eastern bound Vpon the West it is bounded with the riuer Onasus and Noricum which is a part of Bayern Some do on that coast limit it with the mountaine Caetius on the North with the riuer Tey and the countrey Morauia for so farre at this day it doth extend it selfe on that side Vpon the South coast it resteth vpon the mountaines of Steyri The soile is good and fertile of all maner of corne and is such as is manured and tilled with small charge In that part which is beyond Donaw and is called Marchfield where long since the Chetuari and and Parmecampi were seated the husbandman falloweth his land with one poore seely jade only Marle without which their land in Bayern is leane and barren what it meaneth the husbandmen of Austrich know not It beareth so good Saffron as no other in the world may compare with it It affoordeth Wine passing holesome and agreeable to the nature of man Althamerus vpon Cornelius Tacitus his Germania writeth that it yeeldeth plentie of Ginger in a mountaine neere the towne Hamburg in the middest of Austrich or Pannony It hath many ancient and famous cities notwithstanding those of greatest note are Styre Vadenhoff Melck Castell anciently called Claudionum Crembs Cetro castle now called Zeisselmaur Saint Hippolytus the two Newberies one surnamed of the Abbey the other of Corne. Petronell a village now but in old time a great citie as his foundation ruines and heaps of stones and rubbish do testifie The new city Pruck vpon the banke of the riuer Leyth and Hamburg out of all the most famous is VVien sometime called Flauiana and Iuliobona renowmed for the Vniuersitie and Schoole than which there is none that hath brought forth more excellent and greater Mathematicians This citie is round beset with Vineyards The houses of the citizens are stately and beautifull so that they may seeme to giue entertainment to Princes and are built with large and open windowes to let the aire in and out and therefore they are neuer pestered and offended with close and bad aire for that euery priuate house hath either his seuerall court-yard or back-side Hither is great concourse of forren nations
and Mappes diuers places both of Sea and Land vnknowen to former ages to describe the tracts and coasts of the East and West South and North neuer spoken of nor touched by Ptolemey Pliny Strabo Mela or any other historiographer whatsoeuer and lastly to bend all his forces to the framing of that his THEATER which now is beheld and read with such admiration and applause of all men in which worke of his he was so generally well liked and approued of all that Philip the Second that renowmed King of Spaine graced him with the honour and title of The Kings Cosmographer He wrot also his GEOGRAPHICALL TREASVRE a very learned and pleasant worke in which the ancient names or appellations yea and oft times the new by which they are now called and knowen at this day of Mountaines Hils Promontories Woods Ilands Hauens People Cities Townes Villages Seas Baies Creekes Straights Riuers c. are at one view instantly to be seene Moreouer out of ancient coines for the benefit and delight of such as are louers and studious of antiquities he set out The HEADS OF THE GODS AND GODDESSES which afterward were illustrated with an historicall narration or discourse done by Francis Sweert the yonger In the yeere of Christ 1596 he set forth THE IMAGE OF THE GOLDEN WORLD that is A treatise describing the life Maners Customes Rites and Religion of the ancient Germans collected and gathered out of diuers and sundry old writers of both languages By these his labours and trauels he hath gotten and purchased vnto himselfe an immortall name and credit amongst the learned of all sorts In company he was of an excellent discreete cariage passing courteous merry and pleasant Such was his singular humanity that it was strange to see how he did winne and retaine the loue and fauour of all men wheresoeuer he became His enemies he chose rather to ouercome with kindnesse or to contemne them then to reuenge himselfe of their malice He did so much hate vice euen in his owne kindred that he rather reuerenced vertue in his enemies and strangers Vaine questions and subtill disputations of diuinity or matters of religion as dangerous and pernicious hee did alwaies greatly detest and abhorre A deepe in-sight and sound iudgment in any kinde of matter he preferred before glosing eloquence and quaint termes Present aduersity and daungers he alwaies endured with more patience then feare of such as were comming on and neere at hand and those which were bitter more easily then such as were doubtfull and vncertaine of euent He was a man which in his life time did set as little by himselfe as any man could For he neuer set his minde much vpon the wealth of this world or ought of those things in the same hauing alwaies in memory that his learned poesie CONTEMNO ET ORNO MENTE MANV I scorne and trimme with minde with hand For surely this man was led with some heauenly spirit which did so with-draw his minde from those earthly cogitations that he neuer tooke any thing in his life more vnkindly then when he was drawne from his bookes which he alwaies preferred before all other things in the world beside These great learned men following were his familiar friends and such as he did greatly loue and reuerence In Spain Benedictus Arias Montanus that great linguist and graue Diuine and the reuerend father Andrew Schotte borne in Antwerp a learned Iesuite In Italy Fuluius Vrsinus Franciscus Superantius and Iohannes Sambucus In Germany Gerard Mercator that famous Cosmographer Iames Monaw Marke Velser Ioachim Chamberlin Ionas Grutterus of Antwerp and Arnold Milius In France Petrus Pithoeus and others In the Low-countries Iustus Lipsius Laeuinus Tormencius Nicolaus Rockoxius Cornelius Prunius Balthasar Robianus Ludouicus Perezius Iohannes Brantius a ciuillian recorder to the state of Antwerp Iohannes Bochius secretarie to the same city Francis Raphalengius Christopher Plantine Iohn Moret Philip Gally Otho Venius that famous painter and Francis Sweert the yonger In England Humfrey Lloyd the only learned courtiour of his time and VVilliam Camden now Clarenceux the painfull and iudicious antiquary of our land With all these and many other he was familiarly acquainted To these he wrot often and from these he often receiued most kinde and louing letters He was a great student of antiquities and searcher out of rare and ancient things He had at home in his house Images Statues Coines of Gold Siluer and copper both of the Greeks Romans and others Shelfishes brought from India and our Antipodes Marble of all kinde of colours Torteises shelles of such wonderfull bignesse that tenne men sitting round in a circle might eate meat out of them at once Others againe so little and narrow that they were skarce so bigge as a pinnes head His Library was so maruellously well stored with all sort of Bookes that his house might iustly haue beene termed A shoppe of all manner of good learning vnto which men flocked from diuers places like as in former times they did to Plato's Academy or Aristotle's Lyceum This Ernest and Albert returning conquerour from the battaill at Hulsten with other great Princes and men of all sorts came in troops to see and behold While he was thus busied and hauing now liued aboue threeskore and eleuen yeeres he fell sicke in Iune in the yeere of our Lord 1598 and growing euery day worse and worse at length he yeelded to nature and died vpon the 28 day of the same moneth The Physicians affirmed that he died of an vlcer of the reines which Hippocrates writeth will hardly euer be cured in old men He was of stature tall and slender the haire of his head and beard was of a yealow colour His eies were gray and his forehead broad He was very courteous and affable In serious businesses he was very graue and sober but without any shew of arrogant disdaine in mirth and iesting he was as pleasant yet with that moderation that all was guided by the rules of Christian piety and modesty This deceased bachelour Anna Ortell a virgine his sister who liued not long after this her brother Abraham for she died in the yeere of Grace 1600 caused to be buried and intombed in Saint Michaëls the Abby of the Praemonstratenses in Antwerp He might well want the honour of a gorgeous and costly tombe who by the generall consent of all men had for his rare and singular vertues deserued an euerlasting fame and reputation Francis Sweert the yonger gathered together the mournefull verses of those poets and friends of his which did bewaile his death set them foorth and dedicated them to the State and citizens of Antwerp Iustus Lipsius at the instant request of his heires and for a perpetuall memoriall of their constant loue and friendship wrote that Epitaph which is in capitall letters ingrauen vpon his tombe ABRAHAM ORTELIVS CITIZEN OF ANTwerpe and Geographer to Philip the second King of Spaine to the courteous Reader SEeing that as I
which is from the head or fountaine of this riuer directly vnto the North Ocean it is diuided from Asia according to the opinion of Glarean And thus it beares the shape of a Peninsula which signifies a place of the earth almost disioyned and cut from the Continent and so well neere on euery side enuironed with waters as in the Table it selfe is manifest The head hereof Rome was whilome conqueresse of the earth The regions thereof as they are now called are Spaine France Germanie Italie Slauonia Greece Hungarie Poland with Lithuania Moscouia or more significantly Russia and that Peninsula which conteineth Norway Sweden and Gotland Among the Isles thereof the first place is due to Britany conteining England and Scotland then followes Ireland Groenland Frisland and Island all situate in the maine Ocean In the Mediterran sea it hath Sicilia Sardinia Corsica Candia Maiorica Minorica Corfu Negropont and others of lesse note the particular names and situations whereof are to be seene in the Table This our Europe besides the Roman Empire reuerenced of all the world hath in all if you adde those foureteene which Damianus à Goes reckens vp only in Spaine eight and twentie Christian Kingdomes whereby you may estimate the worthinesse of this region It is a place out of measure fruitfull and the naturall disposition of his aire is very temperate For all kindes of Graine for Wine and abundance of Woods it is inferior to none but comparable to the best of the others It is so pleasant and so beautified with stately Cities Townes and Villages that for the courage and valour of the people and seuerall nations although it be lesse in quantitie and circuit yet might it well be accounted and indeed of all ancient Writers hath it euer beene accounted superiour vnto the other parts of the World most renowmed also hath it beene both in regard of the Macedonian Empire and the great command and power of the Romans The praises thereof you may reade in Strabo who in his third booke and seuen bookes following hath most learnedly and excellently described it Peruse also other ancient Geographers Of late Writers amongst other things by the way Volateranus Sebastian Munster Dominicus Niger Georgius Rithaimerus in their Geographies haue endeuoured to paint it out in his colours But Pius the second Christopher Cella and Anselmus his brother haue described it a part and by it selfe Diuers Iournals ouer all Europe in a maner together with the distances of places haue beene committed to writing by Cherubin Stella John Herbacius and George Mayerus The like hath beene done by William Gratarolus in the end of his booke which is entitled De regimine iter agentium or A direction for trauellers AFRICA THis the Ancients haue diuersly distinguished but at this present it is diuided by Iohn Leo of Africa into foure chiefe parts Barbarie Numidia Libya and the Land of Negros BARBARIE which is accounted the best they circumscribe with the Atlantick Mediterranean seas with mount Atlas with the region of Barcha bordering vpon Aegypt NVMIDIA called by the inhabitants Biledulgerid and abounding with Dates for which cause the Arabians call it by no other name but the Date-bearing region is bounded Westward by the Atlantick Ocean Northward by mount Atlas it stretcheth East as farre as the citie Eloacat which is an hundred miles distant from Aegypt and the sandie Deserts of Libya embrace it on the South LIBYA the third part is named in the Arabian tongue Sarra which word signifies a Desert It beginnes East from Nilus and thence runneth West as farre as the Atlantick sea Numidia lies to the North of it and the Land of Negros to the South Now followeth the fourth part which they call NIGRITARVM terra either from the inhabitants which are of a blacke colour or from the riuer Niger that runneth thorow the countrey It is confined North by Libya South by the Aethiopick Ocean West by Gualata and East by the Kingdome of Gaoga And here we are to note that according to this their diuision all Africa is included within the Mediterran Atlantick and Aethiopick seas and the riuer Nilus wherefore Aegypt and Aethiopia are accounted parts of Asia which we notwithstanding thinke more properly to belong to Africa For the true Aethiopia containes at this day Presbyter Iohns Empire which by all late Writers is ascribed to Africa We therefore with Ptolemey iudge that it ought to be bounded by the Mediterran and Ocean seas rather than by any riuer whatsoeuer and so it hath the forme of a Peninsula being ioyned to Asia by an Isthmos or small neck-land which lies betweene the Mediterran sea and the gulfe of Arabia The South part hereof was vnknowen to our ancestours till the yeere 1497 whereas Vasco de Gama first doubling the Cape de buona speranza or of good hope and sailing about Africa came to Calicut in East India This Southern part by the Persians and Arabians is called Zanzibar At the foresayd Cape of good hope the inhabitants are exceeding blacke which we thought in no wise to omit because all men suppose the cause of blacknesse to be heat and the nearenesse of the Sunne wheras here the Sunne scorcheth no more than about the Streight of Magellan if we measure the heat of the place according to the position of the heauens and distance from the Equinoctiall line where notwithstanding the people are reported to be maruellous white But if we will needs ascribe this blacknesse to the scorching heat of the Sun let vs consider what makes the Spaniards and Italians looke so white whenas they are equally distant from the Equinoctiall with the inhabitants of the foresayd Cape namely the one towards the South and the other towards the North. Presbyter Iohns people are of a browne colour in Zeilan and Malabar the inhabitants are coale blacke yet all in one the same distance from the aequator and vnder the very same parallele of the heauens * And on the contrary why did Herodotus and Pindarus describe such as inhabited the same climate with themselues namely Colchis to be of a blacke colour and curled haire Herodotus in his Thalia makes the Indians blacke like the Aethiopians which the experience of our times confirmeth I know Herodotus will haue the cause hereof to be the seed of the parents which he sayth is not white as that of other people but blacke To whom Postellus also subscribeth and imputeth the originall of this blacknesse vnto Chams curse Against which opinion I haue nothing to allege Let the trueth of the matter rest vpon the authours credit But this a man may thinke more strange that in all America there were no blacke people found besides a few only in one place called by them Quareca What then is the efficient cause of this colour Is it the drinesse of the heauen or of the earth Is it perhaps some hidden propertie of the soile Or a kind of qualitie inherent to the nature of men
Crowes than heere a kind of fowle very harmefull for it doth not onely spoile the ripe and standing corne but assoone as it is shotte they will stocke and digge it vp with their billes so that the husbandmen are faine at that time of the yeare to set Boies in the fields with bow and arrowes for they are not afraid of mens voices to skarre them away The Ocean or maine sea which beateth vpon the coast of this Iland aboundeth with all maner of Fish of which the Lucius or Pike as they commonly call it they esteeme as a deinty dish and therefore they oft take it out of fenny pooles and riuers and put it into their fishponds and weares where being purged and cleared from that muddy sauour feed with eeles and other little fishes he groweth exceeding fatte and of a holesome and pleasing tast This fish which is a very strange thing being brought aliue into the fishmarket to be sold they open his belly with a knife to shew how fatte he is if he be not sold yet of that wound he dieth not but the slitte being sewed vp and presently put into the pond amongst the slimie tenches it is by and by healed againe There are no where in all the world either more daintie Oisters or greater store It yeeldeth also Gold Siluer Copper and Iron although no great quantitie of either sort but of Lead and Tinne the Latines call that Plumbum nigrum this Plumbum album in their kind the best is heere found in great abundaunce and from thence is transported to forrein nations The people are tall of stature well fauoured and faire countenanced for the most part gray eied and as in maner of pronunciation they much resemble the Italian so in proportion and feature of body and maners they little or nothing differ from them They shape their apparell much-what after the French fashion The women most faire and beautifull do go very decently and comlily attired They feed most-what on flesh The drinke which they vse and do make of malt is indeed very good holesome and pleasant much sought after in the Low countries and therefore conueied thither in great abundance At their meales both dinners and suppers they fare well daintilie liberallie and are very merrie and pleasant In warre they are courageous and hardie good archers and cannot abide delaies and lingring and therefore when they ioine battell and come to blowes one part shall soone be vtterly ouerthrowne for the conqueror seiseth all into his hands They build no Castles yea those which their auncestours haue built in former ages and now are decaied ruinous and readie to fall they care not for the reedifying and vpholding of them Cities they haue and many faire townes goodly hamlets streets and villages The chiefe City mart-towne and imperiall seat of their Kinges is LONDON situate vpon the riuer of Thames ioined with a faire stone bridge of twenty piles very goodly arched Vpon this bridge are houses so built on ech side that it seemeth almost to be a continuall street not a bridge This of the nature of the soile temperature of the aire manners and behauiour of the people we haue for the most part gathered out of Polydore Virgill his historie of England for he hath very curiously there described this Iland In England these things are famous and worth the obseruation as this verse sheweth Mons fons pons ecclesia femina lana Of riuers and mountaines stone bridges and wooll Faire women and Churches England is full IRELAND is subiect to the crowne of England so are diuers other lesser iles as Wight Man Anglesey the ancient seat of the Druydes the Welshmen call it Tirmôn mam Gumry Man the mother of Wales the Latines this MONA that other MENAVIA and those which now we call the Sorlinges the Greeks called them CASSITERIDES Gernsey and Gersey with other small ilands about them although they be hard vpon the coast of France yet they do belong vnto England Humfrey Lhoyd hath so curiously described England together with the Antiquities thereof that others before him may iustlie seeme to be accused of great negligence Him did Alexander Neuill follow in his historie of the Rebellion in Norffolke which he intituleth Norwicus Daniel Rogers my kinsman hath written a booke of the maners lawes and customes of the ancient Brittans The same author is also about to write of the command and iurisdiction that the Romanes had in Brittaine ANGLIAE ET HIBERNIAE ACCVRATA DESCRIPTIO VETERIBVS ET RECENTIORIBVS NOMINIBVS ILLVS TRATA ET AD D. GVLIEL CAMDENI BRITANIAM ACCŌMODATA Nominibus Antiquis ★ vel praeponitur vel postponitur Ioannes Baptista Vrints Geographicarum tabularum calcographus excud Antuerpiae PROGENIES REGVM ANGLIAE AB GVILIELMI CONQVEST TEMPORIBVS VSQVE AD HVNC DIEM Anno Dn̄i 1605. SERMO. INVICTISSIMOQVE IACOBO MAGNAE BRITANNIAE FRANCIAE ET HIBERNIAE REGI IOANNES BAPTISTA VRINTS ANTVERPIANVS D. DEDICAT WALES THe discourse of this prouince we haue composed out of a certaine fragment of our singular good friend Humfrey Lhoyd which not long since wee caused Birkman to imprint for the benefit of those that are students of Geography CAMBRIA saith he the third part of Britaine is diuided from Lhoëgria or England if you please so to call it by the riuers Seuern and Dee otherwise it is on all parts confined with the Irish sea the Geographers commonly call it Oceanus Vergiuius it was so named as they dreame of Camber the third sonne of Brute The Welshmen call it Cymri the English Wales and the Latin WALLIA This part only of this whole Brittish iland doth stil enioy the most ancient inhabitants being indeed the true naturall Brittans and do yet retaine the Brittish tongue and cannot speake one word of English which is a language made especially of the misture of the Dutch and French tongues Wales they do at this time diuide into three prouinces Venedoth Powis-land and Dehenbarth Vnder Venedoth the ile Anglesey famous long since and accounted for the ancient seat of the Druides is conteined The inhabitants in course of life and fashion of apparell do follow the English and are an idle people not willing to labour or take pains bragging much of their gentilitie and do giue themselues rather to the seruice of Noblemen and to follow the court than to trades and occupations Heere hence it is that you shall find few Noblemen through out all England which hath not the greatest part of his followers seruants in which thing Englishmen do surpasse any other nation whatsoeuer Welshmen borne for being men that are fed with whitmeats or butter cheese they haue nimble able bodies fit for any maner of seruice Moreouer being men of haughty minds and in extreme penury and beggery challenging vnto themselues to be nobly descended they delight rather to go brauein apparell like vnto the Spaniard then to get goods or pamper their bellies and do soone learne courtlike behauiour and
olim non ob opes solum virtutem bellicam quibus semper pres titit verum etiam ob continentia disciplinam que summum apud illos locum habuit celebris fuit Nam artium illustrium et Graecae etiam lingue peritia excelluit matre vt arbitror Massilia Graeca vrbe in maritima ora Prouinciae sita ad quā quondā disciplinaru gratia ud ex ipsa vrbe Roma missi sūt qui docerētur BRETAIGNE and NORMANDY THis Table representeth that part of Gallia Lugdunensis which stretcheth toward the Westerne Ocean The ancients named it Armorica Heere standeth Neustria corruptly so called of late yeeres for Vestria or rather Westria according to some Westrasia as much to say as a Westerne region The occasion of this errour both in pronunciation and writing was for that the French wanting a double V doe alwayes in stead thereof write a single V and because u in this small forme differs not much from n hereupon it is likely that Westria was prodigiously changed into Neustria In which Neustria at this present are situate the regions of Bretaigne and Normandie which in this Table we present vnto your view NORMANDIA so called of the Northerne people that ouer-ranne it for Nord in Dutch signifieth North and mannen men which Northerne people were Danes and Noruegians who hauing by force subdued this region planted themselues here in the time of Lotharius the Emperour Concerning the situation and nature of this place these are the words of Gaguinus in his seuenth booke Normandie is adorned and fortified with one Metropolitan six cities and ninetie foure strong townes and castles most of their villages also being built citie-like thorow which Prouince a speedie traueller shall hardlie passe in six dayes it aboundeth with fish cattell and plentie of corne being in all places so fraught with peares and apples that the people make all their drinke of the same and yet send great quantitie to other countreys They exercise clothing and are notable quaffers of cyder They are naturally a wilie people subiect to no forren lawes liuing after their owne fashions and customes which they most obstinately maintaine cunning they are in sleights and sutes of law whereupon strangers are loth to haue any dealings with them being otherwise well addicted to learning and religion Moreouer they are very apt and valiant in the warres many of whose worthy acts against strangers are recorded Thus farre Gaguinus Of the qualitie of this region you may more largely informe your selfe out of Henry Altissiodorensis his fifth booke of the life of S. German It aboundeth as Caenalis makes report with all things necessary for mans life wine only excepted which the soile doth not yeeld The chiefe city is Rouen in English commonly called Roan which hath a most learned Senate or Court of Parliament that execute iustice and decide the controuersies of the whole Prouince Heere are also great Merchants by meanes of whose trafficke the citie is knowen farre and neere In this citie there is a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary beautified with a most lofty steeple wherin hangs the greatest bell in all France weighing forty thousand pounds as these French verses grauen thereupon do testifie Ie suis nominée George d' Amboise Qui plus que trente six mil poise Et si qui bien me poysera Quarante mil y trouuera In English George de Amboise my name rightly sounds I weigh more than thirtie six thousand pounds Whoso poiseth me well Fortie thousand may tell This George after whose name the bell is called was Archbishop of Roan about the yeere 1500. who considering that in his Diocesse such was the scarsitie of oile as it would hardly be sufficient for the time of Lent granted to his Diocessans in stead thereof the vse of butter conditionally that they should pay six halfepence Tournois a piece with which summe of money he caused the said steeple to be built which thereupon is yet called Latour de beur that is The steeple of butter The antiquities and other memorable matters of this city F. Noel Taillipied hath described in French in a peculiar Treatise Thus much of Normandie BRETAIGNE bordering vpon the coast of Normandie is the vtmost prouince of France toward the Ocean Some thinke that this was of old called Aremorica Sure I am that Caesar describeth cities which he calleth Aremericas vpon this coast But Plinie and Sidonius do name the inhabitants Britannos placing them vpon the riuer of Loire The Middle-age writers call them Brittones which name they yet retaine Plinie most aptly calles this region The godliest Peninsula of Gallia Lugdunensis In a fragment of the Frankes history I reade that it was once called The horne of France from the shape thereof as I suppose Robert Caenalis is of opinion that the Brittons being named Hermiones tooke occasion by way of allusion vnto this name to make choise of those armes which they now beare commonly called Ermines with weasels tailes and the natiue colour of blacke in a field argent c. This region he saith is somewhat drie and not very fruitfull more apt to beare millet than wheat Their fields saith he they call lands It seemeth more properly to be named Eremorica than Aremorica For they make larger leagues betweene towne and towne namely of three miles which is no slight argument of a barren soile Hereof the coniecture seemes not improbable that it was called Brutannia of nourishing or feeding brute beasts So many of their townes as antiquity reports are denominated from flocks and droues as for example Pullinaicum à pullis equinis from horse-coltes Filicieriae now called Fulgeriae alias Foulgeres of braky grounds also Rhedones à Rhedis that is to say of carts which cary commodities long and tedious iourneys which I rather beleeue than that it first borrowed the name from Brutus Thus farre Caenalis let the trueth thereof stand or fall vpon his credit More concerning these countries you may reade in the same authour and in Belleforest but especially in Bertrard Argentré who hath published a large volume of the same in French Reade also Elias Vinetus vpon Ausonius his poem of Cupid crucified LA MANS the inhabitants whereof were in old time called CENOMANI PLinie in his third booke and ninth chapter putteth the Cenomani amongst the Volsci neere Massilia Ptolemey and Strabo doe place them about Brixia in Italia Transalpina which is on this side Padus Other Cenomani be found in Gallia Lugdunensi by Ptolemey and Plinie lib. 4. cap. 15. or by Caesar in his seuenth booke De bello Gall. Howbeit the latter two call them also by a surname Aulercos And these are they whose region we propound in this Table The inhabitants now call it La Mans. The situation of this countrey and of the seuerall townes you may reade in Theuet Belleforest and Caenalis out of whom I thought good to borow this one speciall note concerning a certeine riuer and a
called by an vsuall prouerbe The Barne or Granarie of Paris It hath no vineyards which defect some thinke is rather to be imputed to the sloth of the inhabitants than to the intemperature either of the soile or of the climate The cities here of principall note are Amiens in Latine Ambianum famous both for antiquitie and the Episcopall sea It is enuironed around with the riuer Somme Wherefore some fondly thinke it to be named Ambianum ab ambitu aquarum because it is compassed with waters It is one of the strongest townes in all France The vulgar suppose it to haue beene built by the souldiers of Alexander the great Vnder the diocesse of Amiens is Abbeuile the name whereof is new as appeareth by the deriuation which in Latine is Abbatis villa that is The Abbats towne for out of an Abbey it increased at length to the greatnesse and forme of a citie It is now the head citie of the county Ponthieu which region is so called à multitudine pontium of the multitude of bridges because it is in diuers places pestered with Marshes and Fennes Picquenie stands in this prouince also built as the common sort imagine by one Pignon a principall souldier of Alexander the great Likewise in Vermandois you haue the towne of S. Quintins which many suppose to haue beene Augusta Veromanduorum being the ancient seat of the Earles of Vermandois and the head of that region Peronne so often spoiled in warres who can be ignorant of Guise also seemes to be a Fort against Lutzenburgh Hence the Guisian familie deriue their name Other cities there be of lesse moment as Corbie Roye Nelle Hen Cattelette Mondidier c. In a little French pamphlet intitled Chemins de France or the wayes of France Picardy is diuided into three parts The Lower The Higher and Picardy properly so called wherein are contained the Regions of Vermandois Retelois Tartenois and Tirasse Picardy properly so called is described in this our Table PICARDIAE Belgicae regionis descriptio Joanne Surhonio auctore Cum Imp. et Reg. priualegio decenn 1579 PROVENCE THat portion of France which ancient Writers called Narbonensem and Bracchatam Caesar and Plinie doe comprehend vnder the name of Prouincia part whereof is conteined within the riuers Rosne and Durance the Alpes the riuer Varo and the Mediterran sea the inhabitants as yet call by the name of PROVENCE Petrarch writes it was sometimes called Regnum Arelatense The middle-age writers call it Prouinciam Viennensem tertiam It bordereth West vpon Languedoc North vpon Daulphine East it is confined by Piemont and South by the Mediterran sea and the Isles Stoechades This euer was and now is accounted the most fertile region of France for Strabo saith it yeelds all sorts of fruits that Italie affoordeth If we may credit Belleforest it beareth sugar about the towne of Yeres Manna is here gathered as the same authour affirmeth The principall cities of this prouince are Massilia commonly Marseille which was the ancient Ionica Colonia of the Phocaean Greeks being as Caesar 5. Ciuil reports compassed by the sea on three sides and on the fourth side hauing a passage to the land Strabo writes that the hauen is in forme of a Theater and that within compasse thereof they haue docks for the building and a storehouse for the furnishing of ships Here was a temple of the Ephesian Diana and another of Apollo Delphicus The citizens were treble-tongued speaking Greeke Latine and French as S. Ierome reporteth out of Varro Of this citie reade more largely in the 43. booke of Trogus Pompeius and in a Panegyricke speech vttered before Constantine the great by Anonymus or one vnnamed The citie Arelatum commonly Arles vpon the riuer of Rhosne which by Ausonius is named Arelas or Gallula Roma as likewise double Arelas because as learned Vinetus obserueth it was heretofore by the said riuer diuided in twaine Now it may well be called single Arelas looking of a farre other shape and all situate vpon that side of the riuer which is towards Italie This Ammianus makes the renowme of many cities And Suetonius saith that heere was a Romane colonie planted by Tiberius the Emperor his father Procopius affirmes that it was heretofore the head citie of the Burgundians Next followes Aquae Sextiae so called saith Strabo because that very Sextius which subdued Salyes built this citie after his owne name and after the name of certaine hot bathes in the same place Now it is corruptly called Aix These bathes Strabo in his time supposeth to haue turned colde and so Robert Caenalis at this present affirmeth that they haue lost their ancient vertue The Parliament of the whole prouince is here resident Of this citie Gabriel Simeonius writeth that he neuer saw either a more pleasant place or a more courteous people Then haue you the citie Cabellio now called Cauaillon Tarascon retaining still the ancient name Carpentoracte commonly Carpentras Vasio now Voiton the same with Forum Vocontiorum as some thinke Taurentum and Telo Martius which some now interpret to be Toulon Forum Iulij now Frejus Olbia which perhaps is Yeres Antipolis Antibe Segusteron Cisteron Vintium Venze Glanatica Glandeues Dinia Digne Tecolata thought to be S. Maximines Grinicensis Grasse All famous for antiquitie Moreouer here is the towne of S. Baume situate vpon a craggie hill in which is a caue where the inhabitants hold opinion that Mary Magdalen did penance and ended her dayes Likewise at the mouth of Rhosne the reader may see on the one side the field called La Craux and on the other side La Camargo This last named they say is miraculously fertile of wheat And Belleforest thinks it to be called Camargo à castris Marij of the campe of Marius here pitched Whereas the other named La Craux is out of measure barren yeelding nought but stones for which cause it is by ancient Writers most aptly called Campus Lapideus or The stonie field The isles adiacent to this prouince are the Stoechades dispersed as Pomponius writeth from the shore of Liguria or Genoa as farre as Marseille Plinie makes them three in number naming ech And Strabo saith there are three of importance and two small ones not worthy to be mentioned About these isles growes most excellent Corrall as Plinie witnesseth which Belleforest reporteth still to continue In commendation of this prouince Petrus Quinqueranus Bishop of Sens hath written a peculiar volume On this side the riuer Durance this Region bordereth vpon that part of the Popes iurisdiction which is commonly called Conte de Venacin in Latine Comitatus Venuxinus and Veneticus wherein stands the Citie and Vniuersitie of Auignon which in times past was the Papall sea namely from Pope Clement the fift in the yeere 1300. till Gregorie the second for the space of 60. yeeres Petrarch then called it The French and Westerne Babylon Besides other notable things in this citie seuen there are seuen times told right worthy the admiration namely seuen Palaces
rich and a place of great trafficke Also toward the North you haue Semur a faire towne built vpon an high ground As like Castillon Flauigni Soloigne Noiers with others the description whereof because this page cannot well containe I referre the Reader to Belleforest a diligent Surueyer of these parts Only one thing I will adde out of the foresaid Sanjulian He against the opinion of all other Writers deriueth this word Burgundie not à burgis that is from the boroughs or incorporate townes built in this region but from one particular place called Burg Ogne In the territorie of Langren about the riuer Tille betweene Luz and Tille-castle he saith there is a plaine which the inhabitants call by no other name but Val d'Ogne where in times past stood a famous borough or city Hence without all question he affirmes that the Burgundians or as they are commonly called Burgognons do borow their name and holds those Writers much deceiued that report them as vagabond people to haue come out of Sarmatia Scandia or the fennes of Maeotis to inhabit this region indeuouring to persuade all men that they were the first and most ancient inhabiters of this countrey The limits of Burgundie were larger in times past as appeareth out of sundrie authours For some there are that bound it South by the Mediterran sea East by the Alpes and the riuer Rhene North by mount Vogesus and West by the riuer of Loire and Seine Then classicke Writers record that it was gouerned by Kings whose royall seat was Arles It was diuided into the Duchie and Countie of Burgundie about the yeere 1034. as the Chronicle of Aemilius testifieth Of the Burgundians Paradine and Nicolas Vignier haue professedly written in Latine and Peter Sanjulian in French Of the ancient Aedui reade Nazarius his Panegyricke pronounced before Constantine the Emperour BVRGVNDIAE INFERIORIS QVAE DVCATVS NOMINE CENSETVR DES 1584. CVM PRIVILEGIO IMPERIALI ET BELGICO AD DECENNIVM GERMANIE GERMANIE the greatest and largest countrey of Europe is distinguished by many names the limits whereof by authours according to euery ones seuerall time are so diuersly described as they seeme applying themselues to the peculiar ages wherein they liued to giue notice of a threefold Germanie namely the ancient that of middle ages and Germanie as it is now taken The ancient is that of Berosus which he circumscribeth by the Rhene the Ocean the riuer Tanais the Euxine sea and the riuer Danubius That of middle ages is the same which Tacitus Ptolemey and Plinie all of one time acknowledged whereof because it is sufficiently knowen out of the authours themselues I hold it needlesse in this place to make any description But Germanie as it is now taken we do confine by the German or Dutch tongue which learned Goropius Becanus in his volume of the antiquities of nations most wittily and learnedly sheweth to be the ancientest language in the world Wherfore all those countries which at this day vse the same language we comprehend vnder the name of Germany And so the greatest length thereof stretcheth from Calais on the West to the riuer Vistula or VVixel Eastward and the largest bredth from the German and Baltick seas to the Alpes The names of the seuerall regions are these Flanders the most Westerly Brabant Zeland Holland Frisland Denmarke Meckleburgh Pomerland Prussia which extendeth beyond the riuer Vistula towards the Baltick sea as likewise the ancient and new Marquesates Saxonie VVestphalia Gelders Cleueland Iuliers the Bishopricke of Colen Hessen Turingen Misnia Lusatia Silesia Morauia Bohemia Franconia the Bishopricke of Mentz Lutzenburg the Bishopricke of Triers the Countie Palatine Elsas VVertenberg Sueuia Bauaria Austria Stiria Carinthia Tirolis and Switzerland next vnto France There be also more names of pettie regions but such as are either of no great moment or comprehended vnder the former And albeit Bohemia speaketh not the German but the Sclauonian tongue yet because it is situate in the midst of Germanie and the King thereof is one of the Prince-electours it is also numbred amongst the German prouinces This countrey of Germanie which for the present is adorned with the title of the Roman Empire is so replenished with beautifull and strong cities castles villages and inhabitants as it is no whit inferiour to Italie France or Spaine for corne wine and riuers abounding with fish it may compare with the most fruitfull regions Here are fountaines of water hot bathes and salt-mines in abundance and for plentie of mettals namely gold siluer lead tinne brasse and iron no countrey shall euer go beyond it Moreouer you shall no where finde more courteous and ciuill behauiour more honest and comly attire more skill and furniture for the warres nor greater store of nobilitie This is the place that whilome as Cornelius Tacitus affirmeth was either darkened with woods or drowned with fennes Such changes can succeeding times affourd as saith the Poet. Of late Writers it hath beene diligently described by Beatus Rhenanus Munster in his Cosmography Franciscus Irenicus Iohannes Auentinus in his Chronicle of Lyonnois Briefly by Bilibaldus Pirkeimerus Iohannes Bohemus Aubames Gerardus Nouiomagus Conradus Peutingerus Conradus Celtes a Poet Iacobus VVimfelingius of Sletstade Aimon in the beginning of his French storie and Henry Pantalion at the entrance of his first booke of Prosopographia Sebastian Brand hath set downe many iourneys distances of places and courses of riuers in this countrey The riuer Rhene is described by Bernard Mollerus in verse and by Magnus Gruberus in prose Iohn Herold hath written two short Treatises of this region one of the Romans most ancient stations in olde Germanie and another of certeine colonies of theirs on the shore of Rhaetia Gaspar Bruschius published a volume of the monasteries of Germanie Of ancient writers Cornelius Tacitus most exactly described it in a peculiar Treatise whereon Andraeas Althamerus Iodocus VVillichius and lately Iustus Lipsius haue written most learned Commentaries Diuers other Writers of Germanie which we haue not as yet seene are reckened vp by Francis Irenicus in the first booke and second chapter of his Exposition of Germanie But here I thinke it not amisse to alledge the testimonie of Laonicus Chalcocondylas a stranger namely of Athens concerning this countrey and the inhabitants Thus therefore he writeth in his second booke This nation is gouerned with better lawes than any other of those regions or peoples that inhabit towards the North or West It hath many noble and flourishing cities which vse their owne lawes most agreeable to equitie It is diuided into sundry principalities and is subiect to Priests and Bishops adhering to the Bishop of Rome The most famous and wel-gouerned cities in the vpper and lower Germanie are Norinberg a rich city Strasburg Hamburg c. The nation is very populous and mighty ruleth farre and wide all the world ouer and in greatnesse is second to the Scythians or Tartars Wherefore if they were at concord and vnder one Prince then might they
well be deemed inuincible and the most puissant of nations As touching their bodies they are verie healthfull and want nothing Nor is there any nation that I know gouerned by better lawes Thus much and more concerning this people and countrey who list may reade in the same authour Deutschlanndt GERMANIAE TYPVS Per Franciscum Hogenbergium conciunatus Anno partae salutis M.D.LXXVI vbiorum Coloniae Cum Gratia et Priuilegio Magnifico Nobili ac Praecellentj viro ac Domino D. Constantino a Lÿskirchen florentissimae Agrippinensis Reipub. Confuli Seniori Franciscus Hogenbergius nuncupat GERMANIE on this side RHENE commonly called THE NETHERLANDS or THE LOW COVNTRIES THis Table representeth not all the Lower Germanie but only that part which King Philip sonne to Charles the fifth challenged by right of inheritance And it conteineth these 17. Prouinces the Dukedomes of Brabant Limburgh Lutzenburg and Guelders the Earledomes of Flanders Artois Henault Holland Zeland Namur Zutfen the Marquesat of the sacred Empire the Signiories of Frisland Mechlin Vtreight Ouerissell and Groemingen Regions as ciuill and as well manured as any in the world wherein according to Guicciardin are to the number of 208. cities fortified with walles rampiers or ditches and villages with churches aboue 6300 besides a great number of hamlets castles and forts And this tract beginning from the East maretine part at the riuer Amisus commonly Eems the bound hereof towards the Ocean hath these bordering Princes the Earle of East Friez the Bishop of Munster the Duke of Cleue the Archbishops of Colen and Triers and the French King along the Southwesterne shore as farre as the riuer Aa the extreame Westerne bound of these Prouinces The aire though it may seeme ouer-moist is notwithstanding most healthfull and agreeable to the constitution and digestion of the inhabitants who are heere very long liued especially in Kempenland the Northermost part of Brabant It is euery where watered with riuers and sufficiently adorned with woods and groues either for pastime of hunting or beautifull prospect Mountaines it hath none saue only about Lutzenburg Namur and in Henault where it riseth in some places into hilles It aboundeth with corne and fruits of all sorts and medicinable herbs Here also groweth great plentie of that graine which commonly is called Buckwey but the people corruptly pronounce it Bockwey as if you would say The Beech-herbe for the seed or graine albeit lesse in forme is three-square altogether like the nut of the Beech. So as it may truely be called Beech-mast or if you will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whether this simple were knowen of ancient times let Herbalists enquire Howbeit in some sandie places which the inhabitants in regard of abundance of heath or linge call Heath-ground as in Kempenland the North part of Brabant it growes not in such plentie But this kinde of heath yeeldes such excellent feed for cattell as by the confession of neighbour-countries their flesh is as pleasant and delectable to a mans taste as any other This region I suppose that Plinie in his 17. booke and 4. chapter most truely describeth when he saith What better feed than the pastures of Germanie And yet vnder a thin flag you haue immediatly a mould of barren sand It breedeth no creatures hurtfull to mankinde All the foresaid regions the greatest part of strangers most ignorantly mistaking part for the whole call by the name of Flanders and the inhabitants Flemings whereas Flanders is but a part only and but one Prouince of the seuenteene as in the Table you may plainly see These therefore are in as great an error as if a man to signifie Spaine should name Castilia Andaluzia or any other particular Prouince or speaking of Italie should mention Tuscan or Calabria c. or discoursing of the whole kingdome of France should nominate only Normandy or Bretaigne c. and so should imagine himselfe to haue spoken of all Spaine all Italie or all France These regions Iohn Goropius Becanus in his Becceselanis hath most learnedly described as likewise Peter Diuaeus of Louaine and Hubert Thomas of Liege Iohannes Caluetus Stella a Spaniard writ in his owne language a Iournall of King Philips progresse thorow all these Prouinces wherein you shall finde many particulars worth the reading that giue great light to the knowledge of these countries and cities But whoso desires to haue more full and absolute instructions of these places let him peruse Guicciardin and he will then thinke that he hath not read of these Prouinces but seene them with his eyes Lately also Dauid Chitraeus in his Saxon historie hath written both largely and learnedly of the same argument Whereas the inhabitants in most places speake both the Dutch and French languages and the countrey for traffique and other occasions is frequented by Spaniards and strangers of sundry nations hence it is that diuers cities townes and riuers are called by more names than one for euery man calles them according to his owne language by a name much differing from the proper name vsed by the inhabitants The ignorance of which multiplicitie of names hath made some authours otherwise not to be discommended to fall into intolerable errours and amongst the residue Dominicus Niger in his Geographie who puts downe Anuersa in stead of Tarauanna and Antorpia which notwithstanding in the copie printed by Henrick Peterson he corruptly calles Antropicia he placeth vpon the banke of Tabuda thirty leagues from Tarauanna whereas all men know that Antorpia and Anuersa signifie one and the same citie of Antwerpe Likewise Machelen and Malines Leodium and Liege Nouiomagum and Nieumeghen Traiectum on the Maese and Trait for which he falsly writes Trecia he supposeth to be two seuerall townes ech couple whereas in very deed they signifie but one The citie Raremutium also he most grosly affirmeth to be called Liege and in another place he will needs haue the same Raremutium to be named Rhamon but by his description I coniecture that he meanes by his Raremutium and Rhamon nothing els but the towne of Ruermond So Rhenen a citie of Guelders standing on the banke of the riuer Rhene in regard of the affinitie of name he takes to be all one with the Bishopricke of Rhemes in the Prouince of Champaigne in France But being vtterly vnacquainted with the state of our countries his errors may seeme the more pardonable Howbeit lest others studious in Geography should fall into the like absurdities I thought good to annex vnto this page the coÌ„mon synonymas or sundry names of certaine particular places Antwerpen in Low Dutch in Latine Antuerpia and Andouerpia in High Dutch Antorff whereof in Latine they call it also Antorpia the Italians terme it Anuersa the Spaniards and French men Enberes and Anuers Aken in Dutch in French Aix and in Latine Aquisgranum Hertoghenbosche in Frâ—â—ch Boissedue and in Latine Silua ducalu Loeuen in Latine called Lâ—uanium and in French Louuain Lisle in High Dutch Kijsel in Latine Insula Liege in
Prouince two thousand two hundred petie villages with Churches and steeples At this present it beareth the title of an Earledome and it containes within it one Princedome eight inferiour Earledomes twelue Peeres two and twentie Baronies six and twentie Abbeys with other titles of dignitie which are to be seene in Guicciardine The principall cities are Mons and Valenchienes the last whereof situate vpon the riuer Scheld where it begins to be nauigable for boats and barks is a towne very large and strongly walled The townesmen for the most part imploy themselues in trade of merchandise and reape exceeding gaines by a kinde of cloth which they call Fussets great quantitie whereof is wouen in this citie and carried from hence to the furthest parts of the world Mons standeth vpon the little riuer Trouille almost in the very midst of all the region A towne very sufficiently fortified against all hostile attempts The citizens enrich themselues by a kinde of stuffe commonly called Saye whereof great abundance is here made Here are besides the townes of Condet Halle Angie Maubeuge Auesne Beaumont Chimay Quercey the retiring place of Mary sister to Emperour Charles the fift who built there a most stately and sumptuous Palace which was then highly esteemed but afterward by the French King Henry the second quite burned and defaced Here also is Bauacum commonly called Bauais which some thinke to be Baganum or Bagacum mentioned by Ptolemey Others are of opinion that Caesar in his commentaries calles it Belgium Howbeit Hubert of Liege thinks it not to haue been so mightie in Caesars time but rather most of all to haue flourished vnder Constantine the Emperour which he gathereth by the ancient coines here dayly digged vp in great quantitie with the said Emperours image vpon them In the market-place of this towne stands a pillar of stone at the foot whereof the inhabitants say that all those wayes begin which with an high and direct passage extend from hence to all parts of France These wayes they say were made by Brunchild And euen till this day they are called after his name For the French commonly term them Chemins de Brune hault albeit the high Dutch call them de Rasije There are as yet extant in sundry places some broken remainders of these wayes Bouillus noteth certaine wonders of them namely that they are higher than the fields on either side that they lie most directly betweene the principall townes of France and that they are paued with flint-stones whereof all the fields adiacent are destitute so that with admiration a man may imagine that these flints either sprang out of the earth or rained downe from heauen or by a greater force than mans hand were gathered all the world ouer for the grauelling of these wayes Also vpon the frontiers of this region towards the riuer Maese in the way to France you haue Charlemont Marieburg and Philippeuille most strong garrisons against the incursions of the French being built and so named by Emperour Charles the fift by Mary his sister and by K. Philip his sonne This region aboundeth with iron and lead-mines Heere are found also sundry kindes of marbles as blacke white and particoloured right commodious for the adorning of the palaces and sepulchres of Kings and great Nobles Likewise here is digged great plentie of lime Also a kinde of stony and blacke coales hardened in the nature of pitch which the inhabitants vse for fewell in stead of wood And heere also are made those thin transparent panes of glasse by meanes whereof vnseasonable windes and weather are fenced out of houses and churches and this glasse excelleth all other that is made in any place besides More you may reade in Guicciardine and in a peculiar discourse that Iacobus Lessabaeus hath written of this region Also Hubert Thomas of Liege in his booke de Tungris Eburonibus writeth thereof many memorable things NOBILIS HANNONIAE COMITATVS DESCRIP Auctore Iacobo Surhonio Montano Pays de Haynault tenu de Dieu et du Soleil Cum priuilegijs Imp. et Regi Maitis ad deconn 1579 ARTOIS THat the Atrebates were not the meanest people of Gallia Belgica Caesar himselfe is witnesse They are and haue beene a warlike nation retaining as yet their ancient name The head citie called in Latine Atrebatum was of olde the Metropolitan also of Flanders now it is named in French Arras whereof the region adiacent and all the whole Prouince is called Artois as if you would say Arratois casting away the middle syllable Hereupon by a new Latine name they call it Artesia The whole region was by S. Lewis the French King adorned with the title of an Earledome and the first Earle thereof was Robert the same Kings brother as writeth Vignier It is very large extending from the frontiers of Cambresis Picardie Henault and Flanders euen to the Ocean sea It was in times past subiect to the Crowne of France but now by meanes of the peace betweene Emperour Charles the fift and Francis the first the French King concluded 1529 it is an absolute state of it selfe It hath two famous cities namely Arras and S. Omer the principall townes be Ayre Hesdin Lens Bethune Bappames S. Paul Lillers and Perne all which places are subiect to the King Catholike The cities of Boulogne Calais Guisnes and Ardres which are also within the bounds of this Countie are the French Kings for Pontieu is now abolished It hath also diuers fortresses and strong holds besides an incredible number of noblemens castles which they vse for dwelling houses It contained of olde two famous bishopricks namely Arras and Ponthieu but since Ponthieu in the yere 1553. was vtterly destroyed the iurisdiction thereof was distributed to three Episcopall seas namely S. Omer and Ypre for the one halfe and Boulogne for the residue Bailiwicks or Hundreds being the principall members or parts of the whole Countie it hath nine namely that of Arras of S. Omer of Ponthieu of Ayre Hesdin Lens Bappames Auen Bredenard and Aubignie Vnder the Bailiwicke of Arras are comprized Boulogne S. Paul Perne Bethune and Lilers but Calais Guisnes and Ardres doe by ancient right belong to S. Omer Likewise the Earle of Artois had other inferiour Earles to his vassals as namely the Earle of Boulogne of S. Paul of Arcques of Blangie of Faukenberge and of Syneghen Now also it is augmented with the Princedome of Espinee and the Marquesate of Renty But how Boulogne first exempted it selfe from the iurisdiction of Artois it is manifest out of histories for after a certaine Earle of Boulogne was attainted of treason against the French King the King vpon that occasion seizing vpon his Earldom it euer since denied homage vnto Artois Wherefore the Earle of Artois losing the one halfe of his right assumed directly to himselfe homage or fealty ouer the county of S. Paul which before was feudatarie to the Earle of Boulogne saying often times that he would not be depriued both of his homage
and vnder-homage so that hitherto the Princes on both sides haue vsed this custom namely that Boulogne no more acknowledgeth Artois nor S. Paul Boulogne Howbeit about this point in the latter treaty of peace 1559. there was some variance wherefore the matter being referred to Commissioners remaines as yet vndecided the King of Spaine holding still possession It is commonly supposed that Calais the next port of the continent vnto England was by Caesar called Portus Iccius from whence he sailed out of France thither But if we more thorowly consider the matter we shall finde it to haue beene another Port namely the towne of Saint Omer which that it was of old an hauen and a most large inlet of the Ocean sea euen the high cliffes which in a maner enuironing the citie do plainly demonstrate besides infinit other arguments and reliques of antiquitie which though no man should affirme it do most euidently conuince that the territorie adiacent was in times past couered with sea the trueth whereof is till this day also confirmed by common and constant report Yea Sithieu the ancient name of the citie for who knowes not that the name of S. Omer is but new manifesteth the same As if it were deriued of Sinus Itthius or Iccius Also that the said haue was in the prouince of the Morini which Virgil and Lucan doe call the farthest people And that this is most true an attentiue Reader may by many arguments easily gather both out of Caesar his entrance and returne from England Neither can the space of thirtie miles or thereabout which he sayth the island is there distant from the maine hinder my beliefe in this point whenas the violence of the sea especially in so narrow a place may easily either adde or diminish Nor doth the distance of the sea there from the maine to the continent much differ Sufficeth thus much to haue beene said concerning Portus Iccius Whether we haue hit the trueth or no let others iudge Moreouer this Prouince hath three Bishopricks to wit Arras S. Omer and Boulogne one and twentie Abbeys and seuen Nunries besides many Couents and Hospitals It hath many riuers also the principall whereof are Lys Scarpe Aa Canche and Authy besides others that are nauigable Great is the number of villages and hamlets thorowout the whole prouince The soile is most fertile and abundant of all corne and especially of wheat Wherefore in the ancient French tongue some write it was called Atrech that is to say The land of bread Nor is it destitute of woods and groues especially towards the South and West The garments of the Atrebates or Artesians S. Ierome in his second booke against Iouinian noteth for precious Also the Artesian mantles Vopiscus celebrateth in the life of the Emperour Carinus Likewise the same Ierome and other authours affirme that in his time it rained wooll in this prouince This region as others also adioyning Guicciardin hath most notably described Artois ATREBATVM REGIONIS VERA DESCRIPTIO Johanne Surhonio Monteusi auctore Illustri ac amplissimo viro Domino Christophoro ab Assonleuille equiti aurato Domino ab Alteuilla R. M t s consiliario primario Ab. Ortelius in hanc formam compraehendebat et dedicabat Cum priuilegio Imp. et Regiea Maitis FLANDERS THe extreme part of Europe opposite to England and Scotland enuironed by France Germanie and the Ocean is called by the inhabitants The low countries or lower Germanie but the French and all strangers in a maner call it by the name of Flanders But in very deed Flanders hath not so great extension For albeit Flanders properly so called was larger in times past yet at this present it is bounded by Brabant Henault Artois and the Ocean sea This they diuide into three parts namely Flanders the Dutch the French and the Imperiall which last part because it neuer acknowledged any superior besides the Prince of Flanders they name also Flanders proprietarie The Dutch Flanders hath these cities Gant Bruges Yperen Cortrijck Oudenard with Pammele Newport Furnas Bergen Sluise Damme Bierflet Dixmud Cassel Dunkerke Greueling Burburch and Hulst The French Flanders L'isle Doway and Orchies And Flanders Imperiall or Proprietary Aelst Dendermond Geertsberg and Ninouen The principall riuers are Scheld Lys and Dender Most part of the region is pasture-ground especially towards the West it breedeth faire oxen and most excellent and warlike horses It abounds with butter and cheese and yeeldeth wheat in abundance The inhabitants are most of them merchants and of flax wherof they haue in Flanders great plenty excellent good and wooll which is brought them out of Spaine and England they make great quantity of linnen and woollen cloth which they disperse farre and wide This Prouince of Flanders hath 28. walled cities 1154 villages besides fortresses castles and noble mens houses Among which Gaunt is the greatest citie Whereof Erasmus of Roterdam in his Epistles writeth in maner following I am of opinion saith he if you looke all Christendome ouer you shall not finde a citie comparable to this either for largenesse and strength or for the ciuill gouernment and towardlinesse of the people So far Erasmus It containeth in compasse three Dutch miles It is watered by three riuers which diuide it into twenty inhabited isles For multitude and beauty of houses Bruges excelleth almost all the cities of the Netherlands so famous a mart in times past as saith Iacobus Marchantius by that meanes the name of Flanders obscured all the regions round about Yperen stands vpon the riuer of Yperlee very commodious for Fullers By clothing it grew in times past to an huge bignesse till the English and men of Gaunt besieging it cast downe the large suburbs and greatly diminished the same As it is sayd in a common prouerbe that Millan for a Dukedome excelles all Christendome so doth Flanders for an Earledome It hath certaine prerogatiues for the Prince thereof writes himselfe Earle of Flanders by the grace of God which clause is proper to the stile of Kings For it is giuen saith Meierus to no Duke Marques or Earle in Christendome but only to him of Flanders whenas all others vsually adde By the clemency or By the assistance of God c. He had in times past sundry officers peculiar to a King as namely his Chancellour his Master of the horse his Chamberlain and his Cupbearer also two Marshals and ten Peeres as in France The armes of this region in times past were a scutcheon Azure diuided by fiue Crosse-barres of golde with another small red scutcheon in the midst Now it is a blacke lion in a golden field which some are of opinion he tooke for his armes together with the other Netherlandish Princes when they set forth on their expedition towards Syria in the company of Philip of Elsas for at that time the princes of Flanders Louaine Holland Lutzenburg Limburg Brabant Zeland Frisland Henault c. changing their ancient armes assumed to themselues lions of diuers colours
two hundred or three hundred faile of Merchants shippes hulks they call them to ride heereat anchor Therefore this city for traffique is commonly held to yeeld to none but Antwerp ENCKHVISEN vpon that sea which they vulgarly call in their language Suyderzee Famous euen in forren countries for the building of great shippes HOORN situate also vpon the same bay Heere in May is kept a faire where there is sold such infinite store of butter and cheese as is wonderfull ALKMAER this place for plenty of butter and cheese doth excell all other cities of this prouince PVRMERENDE famous for the castle or palace of the Count Egmond EDAM for building of shippes and good cheese deserueth also to be remembred amongst the rest Moreouer MVNNEKENDAM WEESP NAERDEN and WEERT may not be forgotten OVDEVVATER heere groweth great store of hemp so that heere they make almost all the nets ropes and cables which the Hollanders and Zelanders do vse in fishing SCOONHOVEN as who would say At the faire Orchards Here is continuall fishing for Salmons where also is held a Staple of this commodity as we said there was of wine at Dordrecht Next after these do follow ISELSTEIN VIANEN Item LEERDAM ASPEREN and HVEKELEN three little cities round in a circle vpon the riuer Lingen not about 500. pases one from another GORICVM and WORICHVM situate vpon the banke of the riuer Wael one ouer against another Gorichum hath a very goodly and beautifull castle A man may iustly call this town a city of store of all maner prouision such a market is heere daily kept of such things as are necessary for the sustenance of mans life which are from thence transported by shippe vnto other countries but especially to Antwerp Lastly there are HVESDEN ROTERODAM SCHIEDAM and both the MOVNTS the one known by the name of S. Gertrude the other of the number of Seuen Seuenbergen I meane and Geertruydenberge for so they call them Other towns there are which sometime were walled which although at this day we do now see them to want either by the rage of violent warre or by reason of other misfortunes yet they still enioy their old liberties and fredoms Of this sort Medenblick Beuerwijck Muiden Neuport Vlaerdingen and Grauesande Moreouer in this prouince there are aboue foure hundred villages amongst the which the Haghe which they call Earls Haghe doth farre excell the rest This town Guicciardine thinketh for bignesse wealth beauty and pleasant situation to surpasse all other in Europe whatsoeuer for it conteineth two thowsand houses of which the Princes pallace built like a castell fortified with a wall and dich where the Priuy courts of Iustice are held is one Neere vnto is a darke or thicke grone which by reason of the singing of birds and sight of Deere is both to the eares and eies most pleasant and delightfull I might more iustly call it Comopolis a citie like town and may boldly compare it with Ctesiphon a borough in Assyria situate vpon the riuer Tigris much magnified of all ancient writers of which Strabo writeth that that town is equall to a city for command and bignesse and was the place where the Parthian kings did vse to winter when they were desirous to spare the city of Seleucia Vnder the Iurisdiction also of Holland are certaine Ilands as Voorn with the towns Geervliet and Briele Goereden or Goere with a town of the same name Somersdijcke Tenel diuers others The diocesse of Vtrecht gouerned not long since by a Bishop in which were 5. cities yeelded it selfe to be subiect to the iurisdiction of Holland in the time of Charles the fifth Emperour of Rome This country is so enclosed with the sea seuered by riuers lakes creeks and ditches whereby it is diuided as it were into certaine plots and quarters that there is no city nor village heere to which one may not go aswell by water as by waggon Neither is there any place in the whole prouince from whence one may not easily in three houres space go to the sea Chrysostomus Neapolitanus hath described this Olland for so he writeth it in an eloquent letter of his directed to Counte Nugarolo Of this read the history of Holland compiled by Gerardus Geldenhaurius and Cornelius Aurelius as also Peter Diuey but especially Hadrianus Iunius his Batauia Of the wonderfull store and abundance of this country read Lud. Guicciardine Of the ruines of the Roman armory or storehouse of munition which the country people call The Brittish castle which is vpon the shore of the Germane ocean at a village called Catwijcke opzee not far from the city Leijden and of the inscriptions in marble there found we haue not long since set forth a peculiar treatise dedicated only to that argument Of the prouince of Vtrecht which now is vnder the command of Holland and is likewise described in this Mappe see the history of Lambertus Hortensius Monfortius HOLLANDIAE ANTIQVORVM CATTHORVM SEDIS NOVA DESCRIPTIO AVCTORE IACOBO A DAVENTRIA FRIESLAND THat the Frisij a most ancient nation did long since inhabit along the sea coast neere the mouth of the riuer of Rhein where also at this day they dwell it is very apparant out of the records of ancient writers For Ptolemey placeth them aboue the Busactores or Busacteri the people of that prouince which now is called Westfalia as some thinke between the riuers Vidrus they call it Regge and Amasius now called Eems Tacitus who reporteth that they were of good account amongst the Germanes and along by the sea coast to dwell on ech side the Rhein diuideth them according to their power and greatnes of command into Maiores and Minores the Greater and the Lesser hee moreouer affirmeth that they dwell round about certaine huge Lakes such as were capable of the Roman fleet The same authour nameth certaine Frisios Transrhenanos Frieslandmen dwelling beyond the Rhein which he saith did rather mislike the auarice of the Romanes then their command Iulius Capitolinus in the life of Clodius Albinus the Emperour saith that these Transrhenane Frieslanders were by the same Clodius Albinus discomfited and ouerthrowne Pliny mentioneth certaine Ilands of the Frieslanders insulas Frisiorum in the riuer of Rhein and the Erisciabones a kind of people between Helium and Fleuum two mouthes of the Rhein where it emptieth it selfe into the maine sea It is manifest therefore that the Frisij anciently did not passe the riuer Eems but at this day they are further spred Eastward almost as farre as the riuer Weser the old Geographers called it Visurgis Who also otherwise of them sometime were designed by the name of the Chauci or Cauchi for diuers authours write it diuersly it is out of all doubt And beside these vp higher euen in Denmarke in the confines of the little prouince Dietmarsh there dwell a people vulgarly knowne by the name of Strandt Vriesen that is Frieslandmen inhabiting vpon the sea coast These it may be were those which Ptolemey calleth Sigulones
city Groningen as also that tract which they call Ommeland to these are adioined Ouerysel Drent and Twent countries of a fatte and fertile glebe well inhabited full of villages and hamlets breeding also great plenty of cattell The cities of West Friesland are thirteen GROENINGEN the more famous for that it brought forth the learned Rodolphus Agricola DAM LIEVVERDT with a faire castle heere is kept the Court or place of Parliament and Chancerie as they commonly call it DOCKVM the place where the famous Mathematician Gemma Frisius was borne FRANICHER a common palace and place of retreit whither the Noblemen and Gentry of this country do for their pleasure retire themselues BOLSART SNEECK where Ioachim Hopper a very learned and worthy man was borne ILST SLOTEN HARLINGEN vpon an arme of the German ocean which they call Suyderzee hath a commodious hauen garded with a strong castle to defend it from the impechment and assault of the enemie WORCKVM and HINDELOPEN vpon the same bay Lastly STAVEREN which in time past hath been a mighty city but now hauing endured many bitter storms and inundations of the sea it is nothing so renowmed nor great There are beside these 490. villages or parishes of which diuers are endowed with great priuiledges and haue many rich farmours It hath many Monasteries so that for the beauty of their townes husbandrie of the land and stately Abbeies Friesland giueth place to no other country whatsoeuer That in this prouince are many gentlemen descended from honourable families hauing their houses and farms in diuers places of the shire and no Barons or free Lords the cause is partly by reason of the foresaid casualities and partly for that they being contented with their own estate and liberty haue not followed the courts of forrein Princes Petrus Oliuarus in his annotations vpon Pomponius Mela where he speaketh of West Friesland writeth that within so little a circuite of ground he neuer saw so many parish Churches There were saith he which do alleadge this to haue been the cause of that multitude of Churches they report that there arose a great contention amongst the nobility of this country about their places in those Churches euery one contending for the highest seat and when as this contention grew euery day worse and worse they determined as many as were able to build them seuerall Curches euery man vpon his owne demaines and so euery man might take the highest roome in his own seat and heere grew the cause of building so many Churches Thus farre Oliuarius where also thou maist see many things els worth the reading Moreouer read Albertus Crantzius his Saxonia But he that desireth a more ample knowledge of this prouince let him haue recourse vnto the description of the Low countries done by Lewis Guicciardine Aelsius Edouardus Leon Frisius hath described this country in Heroike verse dedicated to D. Viglius Zwichemus Cornelius Kempius and Suffridus Petrus haue done the same at large in peculiar treatises The learned Hieronymus Verrutius did this other day promise to set out the antiquities of this Country FRISIA OCCIDENTALIS SIBRANDVS LEONIS LEOVARDIENSIS DESCRIB Cum priuilegio Imp. et Reg. Mtm. ad decennium 1579. Antiquae Frisiae situs sub Augusto Imperatore ut fertur EAST FRIESLAND THat the Frisij did not in former times inhabit this tract but the Cauchi there is none I thinke that doubt Beside Strabo Dion Suetonius Paterculus and Ael Spartianus Ptolemey who distinguisheth them into The Greater and The Lesser doth make mention of this people Ptolemey placeth the Greater Cauchi between the riuers Weiser and Elbe the Lesser between Eems and Weiser where now these Frieslanders which we call East-Frieslanders at this day do dwell Of the Cauchi Pliny in the first Chapter of his sixteenth booke thus speaketh In the North we haue seene saith he the countries of the Cauchi the Greater and the Lesser as they are termed altogether void of wood and trees For by an huge in-let there twise euery day and night by courses the sea runneth in amaine confusedly couering whatsoeuer generally the earth bringeth forth leauing it doubtfull which is sea and which is land There the silly distressed people get them vp to the toppes of high hills or mounts raised by labour and industrie of men according to the height of the highest tide as they find by experience and thereon they build their poore cottages where they dwell like sailers floting on the waters when the ocean flowing encloseth them round or like those which haue suffered shipwrake when the waters ebbing returne backe againe and then they go out to fish about their cabbines when they obserue the fish to follow the tide They haue no cattell they liue not vpon milke and whit-meats as their neighbours do they hunt not any wild beast as being farre from any shrubs or bushes where they may hide their heads Of Reike a kind of seaweed and rushes growing vpon the washes and boggy places they twist cords whereof they make their fishing nets and taking vp a kind of muddy earth with their hands drying it rather with the wind then with the sunne they vse it for fuell to dresse their meat and heat their limmes starke and stiffe with the cold blasts of the Northren winds They haue no other drinke but raine water which they catch and keep in ditches in the porches of their houses Yet these nations if they be at this day conquered by the Romanes they count it no other but slauery and bondage So it is indeed fortune is fauourable to some to their owne hurt and hinderance Thus Pliny writeth of this people who wondereth that they preferred liberty before the tyrannous command of the Romanes or rather as I thinke he enuieth that they were freed from their yoke For neither is it yet so wonderfull a thing as he would make it for a free nation before all things els whatsoeuer to maintaine their liberty which is excellent a thing in his iudgement ô Pliny whom thou thy selfe doest highly commend before all other who perswadeth vs to maintaine the same with the vttermost hazard of our life and affirmeth it worthily to be desired and preferred not only of man but also of brute beasts before all things in the world beside This country in former times was diuided into many Signiories which seuerally were gouerned by their seuerall and proper Princes euen vnto the time of Fredericke the third Emperour of Rome who gaue this whole country vnto one Vlricke and created him Earle of the same in the yeare after Christs natiuity 1465. The soile of this tract is so rich of all necessarie things that it seemeth not greatly to stand in need of the help of neighbour countries Yea it doth so plentifully abound with diuers things as Horses Oxen Cattell Hogges Wool Butter Cheese Barley Oates Wheat Beanes Pease and Salt that from hence euery yeare they conuey great store of these commodities vnto forrein countries This County hath
Iordane in his mappe of Denmarke the ilands Groenland Island Hetland Feroa and the Orkneys Yet we haue said before that the Orkney iles do belong vnto the kingdome of Scotland vnder the name and title of a Dukedome Olaus also saith but falsly as I perswade my selfe that the I le Gotland doth belong vnto the kingdome of Swedland GOTHIA or the ile Gotland is a good ground for the feeding and bringing vp of cattell horses and oxen There is plentifull fishing fowling and hunting It is very rich of a kind of faire marble as also of all maner of things necessary for the maintenance of mans life In it is the goodly towne Visbui sometime the most famous and frequent Mart of all Europe There are yet remaining certaine ruines of marble sufficient testimony of his ancient greatnesse and beauty at this day it is now renowmed for the faire Abbey of Benedictine Friers and the Library there containing about 2000. bookes of sundry authours rare and ancient manuscripts Thus farre out of Olaus Magnus and Iacobus Zieglerus CIMBRICA CHERSONES VS now called IVITLAND CImbrica Chersonesus out of the which the Cimbri about the yeare 105. before the incarnation of Christ issued forth and spread themselues in other countries of Europe to the great terrour and affrighting of all Italie stretching it selfe from the riuer Elbe into the North about 80. miles containeth many large and goodly shires It is a part of the kingdome of Denmarke which M. Adams nameth Daniam Cismarinam Denmarke on this side the sea In the entrance of it as one commeth out of Saxony there standeth HOLSTATIA Holstein which old writers for that it is disioined and seuered four the rest of Germany toward the North by the riuer Elbe Albis they called it named NORDALBINGIA and for that it was alwaies accounted the vttermost Northren bound of the Roman Empire and therefore Henry surnamed Auceps the Fowler Emperour of Rome about 650. since had heere in the city of Sleswicke somewhat beyond the limites of the Empire a Lieutenant and Lord-warden of the Marches Holstein conteineth three principall shires WAGRIA STORMAR and DITMARSH of the which Federicke the Emperour about 106. yeares agone made a Dukedome The next prouince from the riuer Eydore which is the furthest bound of Holstein euen vnto Kolding conteineth the Dukedome of Sleswick so named of Sleswick the chiefe city and ancientest mart towne of this country For in former times this country was intituled by the name of the Dukedome of Iuitland which Waldemare the great-grand-child of Abel king of Denmarke first held by homaga from Erick their king about the yeare of Christ 1280. The male line of the Kings and Dukes failing and the Dukedome of Sleswick and the kingdome of Demnarke being vnited and knit into one body Queen Margaret heire to the three crownes granted the Dukedome of Sleswick to Gerard Duke of Holstein on this condition that he should acknowledge his tenure from the king of Denmarke The rest of Cimbrica Chersonesus called North Iuitland stretching it selfe toward Norway by Scagen a towne by reason the quicksands and the shallow sea there well known to sea men groweth sharp and narrow like a wedge This prouince is broadest about Aleburgh a mart towne vpon an arme of the sea which they call Lymford for there it falleth into Iuitland and pearceth almost quite thorow the same Westward diuiding Wensussel only a very narrow space except from the rest making it a Peninsula or Neckland from thence spreading it selfe into a greater breadth enclosing and compassing many goodly ilands putting forth many elbowes and branches it distinguisheth and boundeth diuers shires and countries In this Bay is that Iland which Otho the first Emperour of Rome about the yeare after Christs incarnation 960. when as he passed with his army from the one end of Iuitland to the other called Ottonia whereof the whole tract about this I le is called Otthesunt or vulgarly Odsunt That iland is now called Tyrhalm so named as I guesse of Tyre the mother of king Harald who after the departure of the Emperour Otho out of Iuitland caused all the country from Sleswick Northward to be fenced with a wall and deepe trench In that Iland at this day there is a village called Odby where they suppose that the Iuites ouerthrew the Emperour and his forces Thus farre the authour of this chart hath written of this whole prouince DANIAE REGNI TYPVS CORNELIVS ANTONIADES DESCRIPSIT Cum Priuilegio CIMBRICAE CHERSONESI nunc IVTIAE descriptio auctore Marco Iordano Cum priuileio decenn 1595. HOLSATIA vulgarly called HOLSTEIN OF Holstein thus Crantzius in the seuen and twentieth Chapter of his fifth booke of the history of Saxony Holstatia tooke the name of a vulgar word of thar language for that the country is woody and full of forrests to distinguish between these parts and the other neere adioining which are moorish and green pasture grounds The Saxons call the inhabitants Holsaten that is people dwelling amongst the woods on the contrary those which dwell in fenny countries they call Merstude Thereof the Latines haue formed he names Holsati Holsatia Holsaten and Holstein like as the French and Italians are from their own languages wont to enrich the Latine tongue Vpon the East this country is bounded by the riuer Bilene on the West by Store on the South by Elbe or Elue on the North by Eydore which in time past was the furthest bound of Denmarke From this riuer Eastward the Wandalles or Vandalles otherwise called Wagers did inhabit of whom that prouince was named WAGRIA of an ancient and sometime a populous city of that name now a poore village little inhabited without wall trench rampart or fence the houses are couered with reeds gathered in the fennes homely and country like it runneth out Eastward as farre as the riuer Trauenna Notwithstanding that part of the country which from the riuer Bilene by Elbe declineth toward the riuer Store and of that riuer is called Stormare leaueth but a little ground to the old Holsatia from Store to Eydore For the Dietmarshers a people inhabiting in mournish and fenny places do claime a freedome and priuiledge from the iurisdiction of any other Prince This Crantzius in his time wrote of the state of Holstein then Whereupon it is apparant that Holstein was diuided into Thietmarsh Wagria and Stormare The same Crantzius and others do also call these Holsaters Transabianos and Nordalbianos as situate beyond and vpon the North-side of the riuer Elbe called of the Latines Albis Ado nameth them also Northuidos vnder whom are conteined as the same authour and Helmoldus do write the Stormaren Holsaters and Thietmarshers He that wrote of the warres between the Danes and Dietmarshers his name we know not doth describe these countries somewhat otherwise then those forenamed writers haue done For he affirmeth that Holstein as now it is called generally doth comprehend the Dukedome of Sleswicke Wagria Stormare Dietmarsh and Iuitland with
certaine other lesser countries and ilands as namely Angle-land Swant-land and Wensusset anciently called Cimbrica Chersonesus But this limitation is somewhat too large for the same authour doth presently after write that Holstein properly is bounded with those foure riuers within which Crantzius doth restrein it Although that Annonius the Monke as he citeth there in steed of the riuer Eyder doth place vpon the North the wall and trench which the country people call Denwerk And this is that Holstein which this our Mappe presenteth vnto thy view That the Cimbri a warlicke people did long since inhabit this tract it is very apparant out of the writings of most approved authours In Wagria or Wagreland Crantzius reckoneth vp these cities Oldenburgh Luthenburgh Niestade or Nigestad Todesto Zegebergh Plone c. In Stormare Hamburgh Reinoldesborgh Itzeho Niemunster c. Dietmarsh hath no cities only there they dwell in streets and villages and of it we haue before written at large in his proper place Of the country of Sleswicke read Dauid Chytraeus his Saxon history Where also he speaketh much of Hamburgh a city belonging to this Dukedome The Ilands belonging to the WANDALLS THey are three Ilands perteining to Pomerland RVGIA Rugen VSEDAMIA Vsedom and WOLLINIA Woollin the more famous for their three Market townes Vineta Arcona and Iulina VINETA a goodly towne of Vsedome which Conrad the second Emperour of Rome surnamed Salignus by the helpe of Canutus king of Denmarke destroied in the yeare of Christ 1036. hauing stood in flourishing estate about 250. yeares together the quarrell grew as they report for that they had vsed certaine Christian Merchants trading thither very despightfully and cruelly It was not situate as Crantzius affirmeth neere the mouth of the riuer Diuenow or vpon the East side of the creeke where the new lake emptieth it selfe into the sea For it is from thence seuen miles Westward two miles Southward from the strong castell Wolgast At this day the foundation of it is yet to be seene in the sea about thirty furlongs from the shore or from the fisher-mens cottages in Damerow It seemeth to haue beene welnigh as bigge as Lubecke Toward the latter end of winter the ice of the marine quarters there about are gathered together and do stay vpon these breaches and oft times it appeareth a farre off like a Castell or Bulwarke Heere the Seales Phocae do cast their yong and bring them vp in the sommer time the East sea being calme vpon the cragges and rocks there And been they sleepe vpon the toppes of the cliffes and rocks which am aboue the waters These do much hurt to the poore fisher-men that dwell heere about eating vp the laxes and other fishes which they catch with hookes ARCONA now the sea-men vulgarly call it Ormunde In the neckeland of Rugen was Wittow or Witmund as the Hollanders call it of the high white chalkie cliffes vpon the sea-coast This iland is diuided into many small iles and neck-lands It hath in all 28. parish Churches Waldemare king of Denmarke in the yeare of Christ 1168. spoiled Arcona Ottocare king of the Romanes and of all Italie was borne in Rugen as also diuers other famous captaines renowmed in histories and registred by Francis Ireney In our time it hath brought forth many learned noble men which haue beene of the Councell to Kings and great Princes IVLINVM now Wollin stood longest This ouercame the fleet royall and great armado of Swein the first king of Denmarke and tooke him thrise in three seuerall battels at sea yet was three times rescued and released our of their hands againe Iulinum stood in that place or there about where now the towne Wollin is seated as the monuments in the places neere adioining do sufficiently testifie Saint Otto Bishop of Bamberg the Apostle of Pomerland in the yeare 1124. in this towne baptized 22000. men Heere the Prince of Pomerland erected a Bishops sea and Albertus the first Bishop of Pomerland was first installed Bishop of the same Yet the citizens and people about Iulinum did soone fall backe to paganisme and do againe adore their idoll Trigilaff and vtterly forsooke Christ and therefore fire fell downe from heauen and wasted the city Waldemare also presently after the fire two yeares after the ouerthrow of Arcona rased Iulinum to the ground There is also the I le Gristoe ouer against and within kenning of Camin These things as I haue heere set them down were written vnto me from Colberg by M. Peter Edling See Saxo Helmold and Crantzius HOLSATIAE DESCRIPTIO Marco Iordano Holsato auctore Cum gratia et Priuilegio RVGIAE VSEDOMIAE ET IVLINAE Wandalicarum insularum Vera descriptio 1584. THIETMARSIA or DIETMARSH OF the MARSI descended from Marsus Strabo the ancient Geographer speaketh and saith that many yeares since they went from the coasts about the Rhein into a low and moorish country Of these are come the THEVTOMARSI or as they commonlie pronounce the word the Thietmarsi the Dietmarshers who about 400. yeares agone were gouerned by the most ancient family of Staden many of which they treacherously slew and so at length they made themselues free by killing banishing all their Nobility Henry surnamed the Lion Duke of Saxony subdued them but he being out-lawed by the Emperour Fredericke Walemare king of Denmarke seized vpon the country and when as he vsed their helpe against Adolph Earle of Holstein and the Lubeckers they reuolted vnto the enemies by whom the king was ouercome at the village Bornhouet Thus againe being restored vnto their liberty least they might seeme to be Anarchi subiect to no Iurisdiction they shrowded themselues vnder the patronage of the Archhishop of Breme and him they acknowledged for their Prince but yet they would neuer pay him tribute or subsidie nor euer would be obedient to his lawes or commands Often the Dukes of Holstein haue attempted wars against them and alwaies they suffered the repulse Fredericke the third Emperour of Rome gaue the country to Christian the first king of Denmarke vnder the title of a Dukedome whose sonne Iohn making war vpon them in the yeare 1500. lost the day all his forces being ouerthrowen himselfe with a very few hardly escaped by flight leauing behind him the greatest part of the nobility of Holstein After that they grew more insolent by this victory and oft greatly troubled and molested the Duke of Holstein Adolph sonne of Fredericke king of Denmarke heire to the kingdome of Norway and Duke of Sleswicke and Holstein not being able to endure their male-part insolencie in the yeare of Christ 1559. mustereth his men gathereth a great army to whom Fredericke the second king of Demnarke and Iohn his brother ioine their forces These armies thus vnited set forward and presently take Meldorp with all the South part of the prouince Then after a few daies respite they ledde their forces along by Tilenbrugge against whom the Dietmarshers out of Hemmingstade make head with all their power
any man that shall thinke and obiect that this storie of the Round Table is too fabulous to confirme this our assertion yet this is certaine and cannot be doubted of that in England almost in the middest of the kingdome there is a towne called Mansfield situate betweeene the riuers of Trent and Rotheram not farre from the city of Nottingham This county containeth also foure other counties namely ARNSTEDT WIPRA WETHIN and QVERNFVRT all which in former times had their proper and peculiar Earles but now at this day beside the counte Mansfield they haue not any one In this county also there is the county Palatine of Saxony Moreouer there are beside these certaine other Lordships and Principalities as thou maist see in the Mappe The chiefe and principall cities are MANSFIELD EYSLEBEN WIPRA and LEIMBACH This country is very full of Mettall-mines Heere out of the earth are digged those sleitstones which they call Scheyffersteyn such as scarcely are to be found as Sebastian Munster writeth in any other place of the world beside It hath also certaine stones laden with Copper which being burnt in the fire and then steeped and washed in water do yeeld the mettall and together with it some good store of Siluer But this is a wonderfull strange pranke that Nature heere in sporting maner vsually plaieth which the same authour there speaketh of well worth the obseruation namely of a great Lake in this country well stored with diuers and sundry sorts of fish all which kinds of fish together with the paddockes frogs newts and such other things liuing in this lake are found so curiously expressed shaped out in stones as we haue to our great admiration beheld as it is a very hard matter at the first sight vpon the sudden to discern them from the naturall liuing creatures of that kind and that so liuelily that thou shalt be able presently to distinguish one from another and to call them by their seuerall and proper names Some of these I haue giuen me by Peter Ernest the most renowmed and illustrious Earle of this country and worthy Gouernour of the prouince of Lutzenburg There is a Lake in this country which by reason of the saltnesse of the water they call Gesaltzen into which if the fishermen shall cast in their nets ouer deepe they will presently be sienged schorched euen as if they had beene burnt or drawne through the fire as Seuerinus Gobelinus in his history of Amber reporteth The same authour writeth that neere vnto Eisleben there was not long since a piece of Amber found as bigge as a mans head Syriacus Spangeberg did promise to set out the history of this countrey wherin all the cities castles villages mountaines woods riuers lakes mines c. should seuerally be described together with the Antiquities Records Petigrees and such other historicall matters of the same MANSFELDIAE COMITATVS DESCRIPTIO auctore Tilemanno Stella Sig. The Principality of HENNENBERG THe terrirory and precinct of the Princes of HENNENBERG a part of East France how large and wide it was you may see by this our Chorographicall Mappe the buts and bounds of it are thus Vpon the West and North it hath Thuringen and the great forest which of this countrie is called Durynger Waldt whose head on these parts doth diuide Thuringen from Frankenland on the South it is confined with the riuer of Meyn and the bishoprickes of Bamberg and Wuitzburg Moreouer the East part is enclosed with that great mountaine which the country people do call Die Rhon or Rosn vpon the same side also it hath the Diocesse of Fulden and the prouince of Hessen This country is wonderfully stored with deere wild fowle fish and such other things necessary for the maintenance of mans life It hath also some Mines of mettals especially of iron whereof great store is yearely from hence to the great gaine and commodity of the inhabitants transported into forren countries It is watered heere and there with many and diuers fountaines heads or springs of the riuer Visurgis which in these parts they call Die Werra but moâ—e properly it is of some in other places called Die Wesser which indeed the name of the Abbey Vesser doth seeme to approoue for truth which Francis Irenicus and Wolfgangus Lazius do verily beleeue to haue beene so denominated of Wasser which in the Germane is as much to say as water in the English Of the first beginning and originall of this house or family of Hennenberg by reason of the negligence of the writers and Historians of those times we can determine nothing for certainty beside this that in the time of Attila and Charles the Great some authours do make mention of the Princes of Hennenberg which also were Earles of Frankland and Burggraues of Wurtzeburg So againe in the time of Henry the first Emperour of Germany Gottwald and Otto of this house of Hennenberg serued valiantly in defence of the Empire against the assaults and inrodes of the Vgri Item the Boppones two learned men of this family in the yeares of Christ 941. and 961. were bishops of Wurtzeburg and gouerned that sea with the great applause and praise of all men But the true pedigree of these Princes is deriued from BOPPO who in the yeare of our Lord 1078. following Henry the fourth the Emperours side in the battell fought betweene him and Rudolph the Switzer neere to the city Melrichstadt valiantly fighting was honourablie slaine in the field After him succeeded his sonne GOTTEBALD first founder of the Abbey of Vesser for the Monkes of the order of the brotherhood of the Praemonstratenses After him followed his sonne BERTHOLD then BOPPO the Second next him BOPPO the Third all which succeeded one after another in a right line This Boppo the Third had by his second wife Iutta of Thuringen HERMAN whose sonne BOPPO the Fourth died leauing no issue behind him But by his first wife Elizabeth of the familie of the Princes of Saxony he had HENRY who had issue HENRY the Second HERMAN the Second and BERTHOLD the Second Henry had issue BOPPO the Fift whose sonne BERTHOLD the Third died without issue But after Herman these Princes HENRY the Second HERMAN the Third FREDERICK the First GEORGE the First and lastly FREDERICK the Second lineally descended one from another successiuely gouerned this prouince This Fredericke had issue HERMAN who by his wife Margaret of the family of Brandenburg had two sonnes BERTHOLD the Fourth and ALBERT both which died in the yeare of our Lord God 1549. and left no issue behind them Then of the line of Berthold the Second third sonne of Henry the First succeeded BERTHOLD the Fift who for his singular virtues wisedome experience and excellent gifts other waies was in the yeare after Christs incarnation 1310. by Henry of Lutzelburg the Emperour with the generall consent of the whole company of the Electours installed one of the Princes of the Empire And after that for the same his virtues and
their game most laboriously others do take as great paines in ordering and ruling the commonwealth ending of controuersies and seeing that the lawes be duly kept and executed others do busie themselues in building and fortifiing of towns and câ—ties making them not only defensible against the assault and battery of the enemy in time of war but also gorgeous and beautifull to the great delight and astonâ—shment of the beholders in time of peace What should I speake of the goodly wholesome springs the pleasant greene meadowes pastures and vallies which for fruitfulnesse may iustly contend with those of Aemonia that fertile country of Greece so much commended by Poets and Historians Of the sundry and manifold pleasures and delighâ—some places brookes and cleare running waters of this country c. HENNEBERGENSIS DITIONIS vera delineatio Cum Privilegio decennali 1594. HASSIAE DESCRIPTIO IOANNE DRYANDRO AVCTORE Cum Gratia Privilegio decen 1579 THVRINGIA OR DVRINGEN THis Prouince was sometime a Kingdome at this day it is onley graced with the title of a LANDTGRAVY It is seated betweene the two riuers Sala and Werra Vpon the North it is bounded with that great wood which the Historians call Sylua Hercinia and of them is called Hartz On the South it hath the vast forest of Thuringia Duringer Waldt they call it The length of this country which is equall to the breadth is about twelue Germane miles In this narrow compasse as I remember not long since Hugh Brinkhorst an Englishman a citizen of Erford my good friend did tell me there are 12. COVNTIES or Earledomes and as many ABBEIS which they call Gefurstete Abtyen 144. CITIES with so many MARKET TOVVNS Mercktflecken 2000. PARISHES and 150. CASTLES It is a passing fertile country and of wheat and such like corne it yeeldeth greater plenty than any other country of Germany whatsoeuer Whereupon George Agricola doubted not to call it Sumen Germaniae The Sweet-bread of Germany Heere yearely groweth great plenty of woad Isatis the Latines call it which from hence is transported into other countries to the great gaine and commodity of the inhabitants It is an herbe or weed much vsed of Diers to set the more perfect and durable colour in wooll or wollen cloth Heere some are of opinion that sometime the SORABI did inhabite Reinerus Reyneckius in his booke which he wrote of the Originall of the Myssen Mysni doth thinke these Tyringetae to be nothing else but as one would say Tyringotae that is The Gothes of Thuringia and thereupon their city Gothen or Gotha he maketh no question tooke the name Zacharias Riuander in the Dutch tongue hath set out a peculiar treatise containing a description of this countrie The Metropolitane or chiefe city of this prouince is Erford which is held to be the greatest city of all Germany The crystall and nimble streamed Gera runneth almost through euery street of this city as we there beheld to our great delight and exceeding commodity of the people inhabiting the same In it there is a mount vpon the which doth stand a goodly Monastery of Frier Benedictines dedicated vnto S. Peter Here also is a stately church built by Boniface bishop of Mentz and dedicated to our Lady Mary the blessed Virgin This church hath a bell famous all Germany ouer for the huge bignesse of it and massie weight MISNIA THis country is by Iohn Garzo of Bononia an Italian thus described This prouince saith he is seated vpon the riuer Elbe on the Eastside the Vindali the Bohemi on the South the Saxons on the North and Libonotria or the Eudoses on the West are neere neighbours to this country it is contained within the riuers Sala and Muldaw beyond the riuer Sala the Thuringers dwell In it are many rich and wealthy cities and diuers strong castles Here sometime as Ptolemey testifieth the Calucones and the Danduti did inhabite But Libonotria was possessed of the Herthanae Eudosi Varini and Suardones all which afterward were generally called Serabi The country is very fertile of all maner of graine so that it is able in regard of the great abundance thereof to serue almost all the neighbour countries neere adioining Neither doth it yeeld such great store of wheat only but also of wine hony and cattell Thus farre out of the same Garzo The head city of this prouince is Meissen Misna of which the whole country tooke the name The riuer Elbe Albis runneth hard by the wals of this city Heere is a very goodly and strong castle Dresden where the Prince doth ordinarily keepe his court is a city also situate vpon ech side of this riuer Elbe crosse ouer the which a goodly bridge doth passe from one part of the city to the other Torgaw also standeth vpon the same riuer where there is brewed an excellent kind of beere and is thereupon called by the name of this towne Torgaw beere Item Leipzig situate vpon the riuer Pleisse is the greatest and wealthiest market towne in all these parts hither the Merchants do flocke from all quarters farre and neere to the Mart that here is held thrise euery yeere Heere also is a pretty Vniuersity translated hither as Munster saith from Prage in Bohemia about the yeere of our Lord 1408. This towne is verie goodlily built and hath many faire houses but especially the Guild-hall where the Aldermen vsually meet not long since repaired with great cost and expences is of all others most gorgeous The people are very neat cleanly courteous and humane Beside these there are diuers other pretty townes as Zeitz Schreckenberg Naumburg and Freiberg a rich towne by reason of the Gold-mine neere adioining Heere in old time dwelt the Hermanduri as Munster with other good authours doth teach vs. The Originall Famous acts Remooues or colonies and great Commands of this nation are set out not long since by Georgius Chemnicensis in the Latin tongue by Reynerus Reyneckius and at large by Petrus Albinus Niuemontius in the Germane tongue Of LVSATIA a prouince also contained in this mappe we haue spoken before at the Mappe of Saxony TVRINGIAE NOVISS DESCRIPT per Iohannem Mellinger Halens Cum Priuilegio MISNIAE ET LVSATIAE TABVLA Descripta à M. Bartholemaeo Sculteto Gorlit THE MARQVESATE OF BRANDENBVRG THe Marquesate of Brandenburg runneth out in length threescore German miles Vpon the West it bordereth vpon Saxony Misnia and Meckelburg Vpon the North it is bounded by Pomeran Stetin and the Cassubij His East part resteth vpon Polonia and Silesia On the South it hath Bohemia Lusatia and Morauia It is diuided into Old-march Middle-march and New-march This Marquesate also conteineth within his iurisdiction the Lordship of Cothuss or Cotwitz of Peilzen Bescaw and Storkaw all in Neather Lusatia the Dukedome of Crossen in Silesia the Earledomes of Rapin Stolp and Vierad To it also doth belong the little Prouince Prignitz It hath three Bishopricks Brandenburg Hauelberg and Lubusz situate in Middle-march Moreouer beyond the riuer Oder it hath the citie
part now is vnder the dominion of the Dukes of Bayern and doth wholly rest in the name of Bayern Bayern is diuided into the Higher and the Lower THE HIGHER is situate vnder the Alps and toward the South This is combred with many marishes huge lakes swift streames darke and fearefull woods Besides beares bores and such like wild beasts it hath many heards of stags of an hundred yeeres old which no man may hunt without the Princes leaue but vnder a great penaltie It is a good soile for pastorage and for the feeding of cattell It yeeldeth yeerely great plentie of Apples Barley Oats and such like corne although not of all sorts it is inhabited but here and there The cities of this countrey are Munchen vpon the banke of the riuer Isara a most goodly and famous citie and the Dukes seat This citie continually mainteineth Lions Many men do thinke it to surpasse all the cities of Germany for beautie Ingolstadt adorned with a publike Vniuersitie Beside these there are Freising a Bishops sea Wasserburg Neuburg Rosenhaim Auensburg c. THE LOVVER BAYERN is more fertile and better inhabited and by reason of the riuers Donaw Isara and Lauar it bringeth forth Vines His cities are Regensburg which some call Ratisbone formerly called Augusta Tiberia situate vpon Donaw whose suburbs vpon the opposite banke of the riuer are ioyned to it by a faire stone bridge Patauium commonly called Passaw at the mouth of the riuer In where it falleth into Donaw famous for his Bishops sea Strawbing Landshut Dinglesing Osterhoff and diuers others This countrey generally is reasonably fertile as of Salt Corne Cattell Fish Woods Birds Pastures Deere and of all such things necessarily required to the maintenance of mans life either for apparell or victuall it is sufficiently stored It breedeth many swine feeding and fatting them with mast and wildings in such sort that as Hungary affoordeth Oxen so this Swine to the most countries of Europe Salt Cattell and Corne are transported from hence and solde into forren countries Wines are from other places as out of Italie Istria Rhetia Rheni Nicker and Pannony conueyed hither But no Prouince of Germanie is beautified with more and finer cities for within his borders as Philip Apian in his Map of Bayern writeth it conteineth foure and thirtie cities six and fortie townes Mercktflecken they call them threescore and twelue monasteries beside an innumerable company of villages castles and noblemens houses In it Salczburg is the Metropolitan citie and the Archbishopricke which hath vnder it many Suffragans as of Trent Passaw Wien c. The people do rather giue themselues to husbandrie and grasing than to warfare neither do they delight in merchandise and traffique they be much giuen to drinking and venery They seldome trauell forth of their owne countrey The first authour of this nation was Alemanus Hercules the eleuenth King of High Germanie His name as yet is preserued in this countrey in the village and castle Almonstain and the riuer Aleman In time past this countrey was ruled by his proper King vntill the dayes of Arnulph the Emperour him as the Parthians Arsaces the Egyptians Ptolemey they called Cacan After that it had Dukes which as yet it reteineth Marke a certaine disciple of S. Paul conuerted this Prouince vnto Christian religion and he was the first Bishop of Laureacke which Bishopricke afterward was translated vnto Passaw Thus much out of Auentine Munster and Iohn Auban of Bohemia BAVARIAE OLIM VINDELICIAE DELINEATIONIS COM PENDIVM Ex tabula Philippi Apiani Math. Cum Priuilegio NORTGOIA or the Countie Palatine of BAYERN THe other part of Bayern which is on the other side Donaw and runneth out beyond the Bohemian wood is called in our time and long since was Nortgoia hauing Noremberg for the chiefe citie from whence the country as some men thinke tooke his name And although that Noremberg be no ancient citie yet his castle situate vpon the toppe of an hill is very ancient This region hath many townes monasteries and villages especially Amberg which in the yeere of Christ 1300. was enclosed with a wall Awerbach Sultzpach Castell Munster where in old time the Princes of Nortgoia haue held their Court Eger Beierut Eister Napurg Newenstadt Rewenkelm Kemnat Krusen Greuenwerdt Eschenbach VVeiden Pernaw Pleistein Herspruck Rurbach Neumarckt Tursenrut Elbogen Cham Schonsee Kunsperg Stauff c. Which for the most part do belong vnto the Palatine Princes For Lewis the Emperour and Duke of Bayern in the yeere of CHRIST 1339. made such a diuision that of the whole prouince of Bayern the prouince of Nortgoia should be subiect vnto the Palatine Princes except only certaine townes which should belong to the Emperour and many also that did appertaine to the crowne of the Empire in time past haue beene pawned to the Princes of Bayern In this Prouince betweene Bamberg and Neremberg in the East toward the towne Eger there is a great mountaine called Fichtelberg out of which do issue foure riuers Meane Nabe Sala and Eger This mountaine conteineth in compasse about six miles it bringeth forth diuers kinds of mettals it yeeldeth the best blew colour which commonly they call Azure In the toppe of the mountaine there is also found Tinne and many caues out of the which in former times mettals haue beene digged generally all that whole prouince euery where swelleth with mines especially of iron by which meanes the Nortgoians do yeerely reape great profit Otherwise the soile is hard and rough although in some places it doth bring forth good store of graine and is excellent pasture ground This Prouince of Nortgoia conteineth one of the foure Earledomes or Landtgrauies which long since were erected by the Emperors namely Luchtenberg which taketh his name of the castle Luchtenberg notwithstanding that the Princes of that iurisdiction doe keepe their Court in the towne of Freimbd and sometime in Grunsfelden the situation of which towne thou mayest see in the Mappe The Earle which now possesseth the place is called George it I be not deceiued descended from his progenitours Albert and Fredericke This Earledome hath not growen vnto such greatnesse as the other three which in processe of time are much enlarged both in possessions and command and especially the Landtgrauie or Earledome of Hessen Thus farre Sebastian Munster See also Pius the second Of the beginning of the Countie Palatine of this Prouince reade Francis Irenicus Conradus Celtes the Poet hath most excellently described Noremberg the chiefe citie of this Prouince and of late also Pighius in his Hercules Prodicius Gasper Brusch of Egra hath described Fichtelberg a mountaine plentifully bearing Pine trees in a peculiar treatise The territorie or iurisdiction of STRASBVRG THe booke of Records Notitiarum liber maketh mention of Argentoratensis tractus the precinct of Strasburg It taketh his name of Argentoratum or Argentina as others name it now called Strasburg This tract is a part of Holst where in time past the Triboces or
Tribocci did inhabit as Rhenan Munster and others do thinke It is apparent out of old records that it hath beene sometime vnder the iurisdiction of the citie Trier Afterward it was gouerned by Earles although not in that sence in which commonly the word is vsed now-a-dayes yet they notwithstanding were subiect vnto the Duke of Mentz as the foresaid booke of Records doth shew At this day it is dignified with the title of a Landtgrauie Besides many things in this citie worthy of commendation there is a most stately steeple vpon the chiefe church whose height is such that it doth not only exceed all the rest of all Germany but as I thinke of all Europe It is as Munster hath left recorded fiue hundred seuentie foure foot high Those of VVien in Austrich doe thinke their steeple vpon the Church of S. Steuen in height to exceed all others yet that is as Cuspinian reporteth but foure hundred and foure score foot high The steeple of S. Paul of London in England was in height fiue hundred thirty foure foot as the learned M. Camden affirmeth Ours of the Church of our Lady at Antwerp is but foure hundred sixtie six foot high But whether the Geometricall foot vsed by the Architects of these seuerall cities in measuring be equall or not let them seeke which are more curious in these matters That ours of Antwerp for workmanship and beautie doth excell all those others I which heretofore haue seene all the forenamed dare affirme Of this territory of Strasburg reade Beatus Rhenanus his first booke of his German histories PALATINATVS BAVARIAE DESCRIPTIO ERHARDO REYCH TIROLENSE AVCTORE ARGENTORATENSIS AGRI DESCRIPTIO Ex tabula Danielis Spekel The Dukedome of WIRTEMBERG IOhannes Pedius Tethingerus in his history of the famous acts of this countrey describeth this Prouince thus The countrey of VVirtemberg saith he in the very entrance almost of high Germany most pleasantly abbutteth vpon the coast of Switzerland situate especially vpon the bancke of the riuer Nicher some doe thinke it in former times to haue beene the ancient seat of the Charitini whose iurisdiction is very large On the East it bordereth vpon the Sueui Vindelici and Norici On the West vpon the Countie Palatine of Rhein the Prince Electour and Marquesse of Baden lastly it comprehendeth the mountaines of Swartzwald the Blacke-wood On the South the mountaines of Arbon and the Alpes of Switzerland so the inhabitants do call the higher mountaines of that countrey do ioyntly ouerlooke it On the North they haue the Franckes their neighbours and not farre off also is Othos wood And therefore the iurisdiction of VVirtemberg can not more fitly take his begginning than where Nicher ariseth which springeth from a small fountaine out of the high hilles of Arbona in the Dukedome of VVirtemberg neere vnto the villages Schwenningen in the confines of the towne Villing not much more than fiue hundred pases from the fountaine of Donaw Not farre from his fountaine it passeth by Rotwell and leauing vpon the left hand the head of Blacke-wood vpon the right Switzerland Alpes runneth by the Duchie of VVirtemberg with a wandering and crooked course so saluting here and there certaine noble mens castles and townes of the Roman Emperours from his first rise the space of fiue dayes iourney more or lesse being with diuers little streames from sundry places encreased and laden and so made nauigable at Heydelberg falleth very swiftly into the Rhein The whole countrey by reason of the nature of the soile whether for tillage or otherwise in respect of the fertility is not euery where alike For that part where Nicher ariseth and which bordereth vpon the Blacke-wood as also that which is abbuttant vpon the Alpes of Switzerland situate betweene Donaw and Nicher is somewhat rough vnapt for vines but yeelding indifferent good pasture for cattell The soile within the Alps is stony yet very good for corne in like maner by the sides of Blacke-wood the land is sandy of a red colour which notwithstanding is reasonable good corne ground Euery where the nation is much giuen to breed and bring vp cattell Nere vnto the forest of Blacke-wood there are recorded to be these Lordships subiect vnto the Duchy of VVirtemberg Hornberg Schultach Dornstad Nagold VVildberg Kalbe VVilde bath Newenstade By the Alps or neere vnto them these Lordships Baling VVrach Blawbeyren Heidenheim Tuthing vpon the banke of Donaw by the which as by a certaine trench they are seuered and diuided But euery where the confines of the iurisdiction of VVirtemberg do gather themselues into a ring as it were enclosed with a large band to the places neere to Nicher But whereas Nicher doth spread it selfe into the champian fields there it is not only more kinde for temperature of the aire but also the soile is more fit for tillage Euery where are riuers well stored with fish holesome springs pleasant lakes goodly valleys Euery where hilles beset with Vines well-grasing pastures and medowes fertile fields forests of woods and groues in the which are great store of Beeches many Okes innumerable companies of Deeres large pastures abundance of cattell in all places plenty of Wine Corne and Apples Vpon the brinke of crooked Nicher here and there are many goodly cities some of them of reasonable greatnesse others not so bigge but for building and beautie very glorious In the higher countrey vpon Nicher doe stand Hernberg Tubing Nurting Kurch then Stutgard which being built as it were in the center of the prouince is the chiefe citie and the palace of the princes of VVirtemberg and excelleth all the other cities in buildings multitude of people and greatnesse About the lower coast of Nicher at this day doe flourish VVabling Schrondorff VVinida Bachanauge Brackenauge Binnicke Bessicke Bieticke VVinsberg Megimill Lauff Greining VVahing Next vnto Statgard are Bebeling Lenberg Cannostade all which cities haue their seuerall Lordships many strong villages men and munition Moreouer generally the people of this countrey is for their manhood humanitie constancie and religion very renowmed The townes as I said before are not so great but are sumptuously built whereof some are sufficiently fortified by nature and benefit of the place other some by the industrie and labour of man The villages are so well inhabited that they are not much inferiour to prety townes their houses are of timber but very artificially built The castles are fortified by nature and situation as also by the ingenious arte of fortification and so are not easie to be surprised so that a man would thinke that another Laconia were yet extant amongst the Switzers such is the excellencie of the men both at home and abroad This Dukedome hath his name of VVirtemberg an ancient beacon which now is situate in the midst of his territory not very farre from Stutgard yet vpon somewhat a rising ground hilly place is neither for his strength nor building any terrour to the enemy But according to the custome of their ancestours who
trusted rather to their swords of steele than walles of stone it was notable for the pleasantnesse of the place only commendable now for his antiquitie hauing a most goodly prospect round about aboue are the woods of Beech beneath are the fertile hilles of Vines c. The late Dukes of Wirtemberg for many ages past held their Court in this tower taking from thence their name their stocke and their armes as is to euery man very apparent There are which thinke that the Dukes of Wirtemberg haue had their ofspring from the Tuscans or Rhaetians others from the French Whether of these opinions are more probable I much regard not for in a thing altogether vncertaine I affirme nothing constantly It is certaine that they were strangers whether they came first forth of Italie or from France that as yet is not certainly knowen c. Thus farre Iohn Pede WIRTENBERG DVCATVS Accurata descriptio In qua omnia eius Opida Monasteria pagi nemora flumina et riuuli alicuius nominis diligentissimè exprimuntur Auctore Georgio Gadnero Cum Priuilegio Imp. Regiae M. 1579. The Precinct of SWITZERLAND THey which diuided the Empire of Germany into certeine Bands or Circles Kreis they commonly call them they made Switzerland the fourth in order now in all they record tenne it is certaine as approued histories do mention that at first Switzerland was a Kingdome but afterward reduced vnto a Dukedome Notwithstanding at this day there is none of the Princes of Germanie which is graced with the title of Duke of Switzerland for it is now diuided amongst many Princes One part hath accrued by lot of inheritance vnto the house of Austrich the duke of Wirtemberg enioyeth the greatest part in it there are many free cities and such as do belong vnto the crowne of the Empire many are subiect vnto the Duke of Bauiere There is none of the old writers which doth not make report of this Nation as of the most noble and ancientest of all Germany It is cleere out of Ptolemey Strabo and other authours that heretofore they were seated vpon the riuer Sweue and Albis But now at this day it is the vtmost prouince of all Germany for it abbutteth vpon the Alpes It is bounded by Bayern Frankenland and Alsatia or Elsas on euery side round about In olde time this countrey was called Alemanie of the lake Lemanus vulgarly now called Lac de Losanne or Lac de Geneue the Germans call it Ienfferlee as some thinke The countrey as Iohn Auban in that worthy worke of his De moribus gentium describeth it is partly champian partly hilly The soile is fruitfull of which there is no part which lieth vntilled excepting that which Lakes Mountaines or Woods do possesse In it are many woods and therefore the nation is giuen much to hunting and hawking they haue abundance of corne and great store of cattell The whole prouince by reason of the holsomnesse of the aire is euery where replenished with goodly cities villages castles and bulwarks strongly fortified aswell by nature as arte About the mountaines it yeeldeth iron siluer and other mettals The nation is populous stout audacious and warlike and therefore Plutarch calleth it The most excellent nation of all the Germans Whose renowme is recorded to be such and so to be enlarged that for valour and feats of armes it seemeth to haue deserued the Empire of the whole world which indeed it hath most gloriously for the space of somewhat more than an hundred yeeres enioyed Thus farre out of Iohn Auban where thou mayest at large see the customes and maner of life of this nation Augusta Vindelicorum Augspurg vpon the riuer Lech and Vlm vpon Donaw are the most famous cities of this prouince at this day There are also Campodun Memmingen Werd Nordling and others of which thou mayest reade in Munster Donaw the greatest riuer of all Europe here taketh his beginning and passeth thorow the middest of the countrey This riuer laden with threescore streames which Cuspinian according to the report of Collimitius describeth by name and order emptieth it selfe into Pontus Euxinus the Greeks now call it Maurothalassa the Italians Marmaiore the Turkes as Busbequius affirmeth Cara-denis that is The blacke-sea by six huge mouthes Euery one of which mouthes are so great and the streame so violent as Pliny saith that you shall obserue the sea to be ouer-mastered and driuen backe the space of fortie miles and so farre the water to be perceiued to be sweet Of this countrey and his people and first inhabitants see the ancient Geographers and of the latter writers Iohn Auban of Bohemia Munster and Irenicus who affirmeth that Naucler hath penned certaine books only of this argument and that Berno a certaine Abbat hath written many volumes of this nation In the vpper part of this Map you see a little prouince cōmonly called Kreichgey Dauid Chytraeus hath described it in a seuerall treatise The territorie of BASELL THis Map conteineth that coast in which long since the Rauraci and the Cis Iurani did inhabit as also the Waste of Heluetia The Rauraci in time past according to the opinion of most men were contained betweene the riuers of Rhein Byrsa and Ar and those mountaines which from Iurassus doe reach hither At this day it is for the most part vnder the iurisdiction of Basell In it as yet is there a village vpon the Rein distant a Dutch mile from Basell called Augst sometime the chiefe citie of this nation and was called Augusta Rauracorum but now it is become a base village notwithstanding many apparent signes of decayed buildings which as yet do testifie his antiquitie we haue seene to remaine and be yet extant there The country is rough full of many cragged rocks and euery where shadowed with thicke woods yet is very well inhabited and manured so that euen in the mountaines besides the goodly pastures for cattell of which it is greatly stored it beareth plentifully very good wine and corne Sequani CisIurani did long since reach from the mountaine Iura euen vnto the banke of the riuer Rhein Now this part is called Sungow and the Higher Elsas and is subiect for the most part vnto the Dukes of Austrich Brisgow and Blacke-wood commonly called Swartz-wald possesse the other banke of the Rein. Here the waste or wildernesse of Heluetia is placed by Ptolemey Brisgow is very well replenished with cities and villages and is very rich in corne The common people for the most part liue vpon Vintage The iurisdiction and gouernment of this countrey is diuided betweene the Archdukes of Austrich and the Marquesses of Bath Of this shire thou mayest see many things in Munster Christian Vrstise in a peculiar treatise hath most exactly described the citie of Basell In like maner Aeneas Syluius afterward called Pope Pius II. BASILIENSIS TERRITORII DES CRIPTIO NOVA Auctore Sebastiano Munstero Miliaria Germanica duarū horarū itineris Circulus siue Liga SVEVIAVE Vulgo Schwa
Manutius doth highly commend it both for learning and chiualrie Whether this be that Quintianum of which Optatus after speaketh I leaue to the learned to determine The riuer Mela or Mella of which Virgil maketh mention doth runne through the middest of this shire as also Catullus in this verse affirmeth Brixia Cygnaea positus in specula Flauus quam molli percurrit flumine Mella Old Brixia plac'd amidde the brookes as gardian of the Swans The riuer Mella kindly greet'th and watereth all his lands This riuer retaineth the name of Mella vnto this day Notwithstanding it runneth not by it now as you may see although not farre off from thence it passeth through his liberties The little riuer which runneth along by the city is now called Garza but I thinke that in old time it was also called Mella And I thinke I may truly affirme that the riuer Mella when it approacheth neere vnto the city spreadeth it selfe into two channells both of them retaining the same name do make a riuer-iland like as Nilus maketh Heracleopolites and then againe falling into one streame still keepe the name of Mella and hauing so heauily laden runne for many miles together at length it vnladeth it selfe into the riuer Ollio But before I finish the discourse of this Mappe I haue thought good to say somewhat of the Lakes of the same The lake Benacus called of the poet Catullus Lydius Capriolus thinketh to haue been so named of the city Benaco sometime seated vpon his brinke a mention of which to this day remaineth still in a village called Toscolano which thou seest vpon his west side standing vpon a brooke of the same name A memoriall of this city is preserued in an auncient monument whose inscription Manutius setteth downe in his Orthographie This lake is now called Garda of the castle Garda placed opposite vnto Benaco vpon his east banke This lake as Alexius Vgonius writeth in a letter of his to Cardinall Poole aboundeth with store of fish which for goodnesse do far surpasse all others It is enclosed on euery side with most pleasant hilles into it from all quarters the cleare fountaines flow Goodly meddowes vines oliues beeches laurell and cedars besides townes furnished with all maner of necessarie prouision like a crowne beset it round on euery side so that nothing at all of those things may further be desired which may make a champion country either beautifull to the eie or commendable for profit and commodities c. While I was writing of this there came into my mind what speech I once had of this lake with that most learned good man Benedictus Arias Montanus for we both had seene the same although not at the same time in which we both did protest either to other that we neuer in all our liues had seene a place either more pleasant for situation or more delightsome to the eie so that it was no maruell that Catullus did so highly commend in his Epigrammes that his Sirmion and the waters of this lake The other lake in this Cart is Sebinus or Seuinnus for Plinie vseth both made by the riuer Ollio This now they call Iseo of a town of the same name situate vpon his banke There is also another lake which they call Idro by what name it was called of the auncients or whether by any I doe not certainly know I know that a certaine learned man doth hold it to be Brigantinus Lacus whereof Plinie speaketh but why I am not of his opinion I haue shewed reasons in my Geographicall treasure Bresciano BRIXIANI AGRI TYPVS Brixia Cygnaea supposita in specula Cum priuilegio Imperiali Regio et Belgico 1590. Milliaria Italica decem The Dukedome of PIEMONT THat prouince which was formerly called Taurinorum regio is now termed Piemont or Pedemont for that it is seated at the bottome of the Alpes which do diuide France and Sauoy from Italie and so is as one would say The prouince at the foot of the hilles The bounds of this country are thus on the East the riuer Po on the South the Alpes of Liguria vpon the West the Alpes of France on the North Riuiera di Duria It hath many goodly fields full of pleasant and fruitfull hilles which yeeld corne and other sorts of graine excellent wines and fruite great store It is well replenished with Cities Townes and Villages Vnder the gouernment of the Lombardes it was called The Dukedome of Taurine so named of the city Taurin By them it was first reduced into the forme of a prouince vnder the iurisdiction of a Duke The gouernment of the Lombardes being come vnto a period it was made subiect to the Kings of Italie who were alwaies chosen by the Emperours after that it was gouerned by diuers Petie Kings and long since in later ages it was accounted as part of the iurisdiction of the Princes Earles and Dukes of Sauoy vntill the yeare 1536. when as Francis the first King of France tooke a great part of it and now it is againe restored to the Duke of Sauoy The chiefe city of this Prouince is Turin seated at the mouth of the riuer Dorra where it falleth into Po. This citie Ptolemey Plinie and Tacitus call Augusta Taurinorum That this citie in old time was a very famous citie it may easily appeare in that it was a colonie of the Romanes It lieth at the foot of the mountaines it is foure square and hath foure goodly gates It is very famous for the rich Isle and state of the citizens and is adorned with many goodly buildings amongst the which the Cathedrall Church is most beautifull It hath an Vniuersitie of all maner of goodly learning and is very well serued with all sorts of prouision of victuall The countrie is of a very good and fertile soile especially toward the East and South hauing Vallies most rich for veines of Iron Paulus Diaconus affirmeth that Taurin was the seat of the Lombardes vnto whom it was subiect vntill Desiderius their king was ouercome and taken by Charles the Great and then it was brought vnder the subiection of the Kings of Italie Emperours Countes Montferrate and Marchions and Dukes of Sauoy to whom at this time it is obedient Neere the head of the riuer Po toward Ripell or C. de Reuell and Paisana are quarries of most excellent Marble Vpon the North side of the fountaine of the riuer Po beginneth a certaine pleasant valley called the Vale of Po or as the inhabitants terme it the Vale of Luserna of the towne Luserna which standeth in it It runneth out in length thirtie miles and is not aboue foure miles broad In the entrance of his Eastend is Mambrinum in the end toward the West is a very high stone crosse The people of this place are commonly called The Christians but in some maners and customes which they vse they scarse follow the strickt rules of Christianity nay they do obserue most vngodly and wicked rites and ceremonies amongst which
this is one That once in a moneth they obserue one day in the which all meeting in a Church after a collation made by their filthie and wicked Superintendent at night the Candles being put out without any choice or regard they fall like bruite beastes vnto their beastly Venerie This we haue taken out of Leander where thou maist read if thou pleasest many other such like things Dominicus Niger also hath written of this Country Paradine in his description of Sauoy writeth That the Dukedome of Piemont doth conteine in it beside goodly Cities great and populous which are in number fiue more then fiftie Townes well fortified and beautifull and also two hundred Borrowes walled and fenced with Fortresses and Castles And that it hath Earles Marquesses Barones and other sorts of Nobilitie all subiect to the Duke of Sauoy Thou seest also in this Chart the description of Montferrate which at this day is vnder the dominion of the Dukes of Mantua of the which Blondus thus writeth At the riuer Taner the famous Countie of Montferrate beginneth whose boundes are the riuer Po on this side and the Mount Appennine on that side the riuer Taner from his fountaine vnto his mouth where it falleth into Po and on his vpper side the hilles next to Moncalerio where Piemont beginneth The prouince of Montferrate is almost wholly subiect vnto the Marchions the most noble house of Italie descended from the Constantinopolitane Emperours which haue held that tract these 150. yeares Thus farre Blondus Merula also in his sixt booke of his historie of Vicounts hath written something of this Country PEDEMONTANAE VICINORVMQVE REGIONVM AVCTORE IACOBO CASTALDO DESCRIP Cum priuilegio The Liberties of PADVA THe territories of Padua which is a part of the Marquesate of Treuiso in old time was more large now it is conteined within these bounds On his South side runneth the riuer Athesis now called Ladessa on the North coasteth the little riuer Muson vpon the East lieth the gulfe of Venice vpon the West are Montes Euganei and the prouince of Vincenza Whereupon this verse was engrauen in the ancient seale of the City Muso mons Athesis mare certos dant mihi fines The Mose the Hilles Ladessa and the sea enclose me round It is in compasse 180. miles In it are 347. villages and hamlets Vnto the court-leet of Padua now do belong these seuen goodly townes Montiniano Castro Baldo Atheste Monselesse Pieue di Sacho Campo S. Piero and Citadella As also these six villages Miran Oriaco Titulo and Liuiano Arquado famous for great Petrarchaes tombe Consyluio and Anguillaria There are also in this territorie the mountaines called Euganei famoused by the poets neere vnto which is Abano a village seated vpon the Spring Abano oft mentioned by Claudian and Martiall Also Cassiodorus in his Epistles writeth that Theodoricus K. of the Gothes gaue order for the repairing of them The fertilitie of the soile of this prouince of the liberties of Padua is such that of those things which necessarily are required to the sustenance of mans life it yearely transporteth vnto the neighbour cities and countries round about great abundance without any dearth or want to the inhabitants Their Wines are very rich hunting fowling and fishing heere are very common It is so well watered with brookes and riuers that to the great gaine and profit of the inhabitants there is no country village aboue fiue miles distant from a riuer This great plenty and abundance of all things they bragge of in this their common prouerbe saying Bononia lagrassa Padua la passa that is Padua for fertilitie doth surpasse rich Bononia Thus farre of the shire now something of the city whereof that tooke his name It is seated in a flatte euery way crossed with pleasant riuers The city is very strong enclosed with a broad deepe water ditch with high and thicke walles and is very populous It hath a goodly large common without the citie wherein the enemie that will besiege it shall not find a place to shrowd himselfe A Session-house the Yeeld hall we call it most stately and sumptuous all couered ouer with lead An vniuersitie most famous of all Europe begunne as they report by Charles the Great finished by Fredericke the eleuenth in the yeare of our Lord 1222. and fortie yeares after that confirmed by Vrbane the fourth Bishop of Rome There is in this citie an Orchard which they call the Physicians Garden in forme round and verie large planted with all maner of strange herbs vsuall in Physicke for the instruction of yong students in the knowledge of Herbs and Plants a singular and worthy worke Clothing is the chiefe trade of the Citizens a matter of 600000. pounds returne yearely and more This we haue taken out of Bernardino Scardeonio who hath written a whole volume of the situation liberties antiquities famous men and things worthy of note of this city he that is desirous to see more of this let him read him and if he please to him he may adioine Leander his description of Italie Of the fennie places described vpon the sea-coast thou maist read Cassiodore his twelfth booke Variar Dedicated vnto the Admirall and Masters of the Nauie Of the Liberties of TREVISO BLONDVS in his description of Italie making The Marquesate of Treuiso the tenth prouince of Italie in it placeth these famous cities Feltre Belluno Ceneda Padua Vicenza and Verona the head of which he maketh Treuiso whereof the whole prouince tooke his name The goodly riuer Sile which for clearenesse and swiftnesse of his waters is inferiour vnto none passeth by this citie running Eastward about ten miles from the same is nauigable and falleth into the Adriaticke sea Many little brookes runne through the towne which is compassed with a strong wall and is very populous it is beautified with many stately buildings both Churches and priuate houses The country adioining to Treuiso is most pleasant and rich yeelding all maner of things necessarie to the vse of man and beast For in it is a very large plaine yeelding not onely great store of all sorts of graine and excellent wines but also it hath many goodly pastures feeding abundance of cattell Neither are his mountaines altogether craggie and barren But his lower hilles are set with vines oliues and other fruit-trees and affoord plenty of Deere pastime for the hunter In this country are many faire Townes For on the East and North sides of the same are Opitergium now Oderzo as I thinke Coreglanum or Conegliano both vpon the riuer Mottegan Serraualle Motta Porto Buffole and Sacile these three last are situate vpon the riuer Liuenza To these are to be added the Countie of S. Saluador Colalto S. Paulo Cordignan Roca di val di Marino Cesarea Cesana I take it and Mel. On the West and South are Bassianum Bassan Asolo Castrum fratrum Castelfranco Nouale and Mestre Moreouer in it are diuers End-waies villages and hamlets But hee that desireth to vnderstand more of the
situation antiquities famous men and other matters worthy of record of this prouince let him haue recourse to the most learned Iohn Boniface who hath a while since set forth a most exact and absolute historie of it There is also extant a description of the countrie of Treuiso done in verse by Iohn Pinadello but as yet it is not imprinted Thus farre the Author hath discoursed vpon this his Mappe to which I trust I may with his good liking adde this out of Zacharie Lillie his Breuiary of the world TARVISIVM now Treuiso a goodly city belonging to the Signiorie of Venice of which of all ancient writers Plinie did first make mention brought forth Totilas the fift and most famous king of the Gothes from whom it first began his greatnesse and to arise to that dignitie that now it hath obtained that the whole prouince of Venice should be called The Marquesate of Treuiso For Totilas gathering together a great armie conquered all Italie and entering the city of Rome did sacke and fire it Certaine haue affirmed that the citie Treuiso was built by the Troians vpon the faire riuer Sile which falleth into the Adriaticke-sea The city it selfe for walles castle and water is very strong for bridges priuate houses and Churches very beautifull and for diuers merchandise very famous It hath great store of corne wine oile fish and fruites The country hath very many castles and villages but worthy men commended for Religion and wisedome vertuous life and ciuill conuersation do especially commend this city Thus farre out of Lillie PATAVINI TERRITORII COROGRAPHIA IAC CASTALDO AVCT Milliaria TARVISINI AGRI TYPVS Auctore Io. Pinadello Phil. et I. C. Taruisino The Lake of COMO sometime called LACVS LARIVS LACVS LARIVS which now they call Lago di Como of Como the ancient town adioining vnto it tooke his name of the Fenducke a bird which the Greekes call Larus and the Latines Fulica of which it hath great plenty It runneth out from North to South in length fortie miles it is beset round with Mountaines whose toppes are couered with groues of Chesse-nut-trees the sides with vines and oliues the bottoms with woods which affoord great store of Deere for game Vpon the brinke of the Lake are many Castles seated amongst the which on the South side is Como a faire towne built by the Galli Orobij or as some thinke by the Galli Cenomanes Afterward Iulius Caesar placed a colonie there amongst which were fiue hundred Grecian gentlemen as Strabo testifieth whereupon it was called Nouum Comum It is seated in a most pleasant place that one would iudge it a kind of Paradise or place onely sought out for pleasure and delight for vpon the fore-side it hath the goodly Lake on the backe-side the champion plaines well manured and fertile of all sorts of fruite Vnto which you may adde the wholesome and sweet aire Of the brasen statue long since taken out of this citie see Cassiod 2. Variar cap. 35. and 36. This towne brought forth the two Plinies men worthy of eternall fame in whose honour and memory the citizens caused these Inscriptions to be engrauen in marble vpon the front of S. Maries Church which we wrote out in the yeare of CHRIST 1558. in our returne from Italie Vpon the right hand of the dore THE STATE AND CITIZENS OF COMO HAVE GRACED C. PLINIVS SECVNDVS THE MOST VVORTHY FREEMAN OF THEIR CORPORATION A MAN OF A PREGNANT VVIT HONOVRABLE FOR DIGNITIES FOR LEARNING ADMIRABLE WHO IN HIS LIFE TIME OBTAINED THE LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP OF VESPASIAN THE EMPEROVR BORE MANY GREAT OFFICES EXCELLED ALL VVRITERS OF HIS TIME IN ELOQVENCE AND VARIETIE VVITH THIS TITLE AND STATVE Such honour great and worthy fame me Pliny did adorne But much it grac'th mee more what heere is set Vpon the left hand TO C. PLINIVS CAECILIVS SECVNDVS THEIR VVEL-BELOVED CITIZEN VVHO HAVING BEEN CONSVLL AVGVR AND BORNE ALL OFFICES IN THE VVARRES A FAMOVS ORATOVR POET AND HISTORIOGRAPHER MOST ELOQVENTLY VVRITTEN OF THE VVORTHY COMMENDATION OF TRAIAN THE EMPEROVR BESTOVVED MANY BOONES AND BOVNTEOVS FAVOVRS VPON HIS NATIVE COVNTRY GRACING THE SAME VVITH ETERNALL CREDIT THE STATE OF COMO FOR THESE BENEFITS DID HEERE PLACE THIS MONVMENT THE FIRST OF MAY IN THE YEARE 1498. At home in peace abroad in war ech office haue I borne I liued I di'd and still I liue as yet But why may I not to these adioine the words of the same Plinie in his second booke vnto Caninius writing thus Doest thou studie or doest thou angle or iointly doest thou both For the Lake affoordeth store of Fish the woods plenty of Deere the priuatenesse of the place doth giue great occasion of study The same authour in his 4. Epistle vnto Licinus Sura hath a storie of a certaine strange spring not farre off from this Lake Paulus Iouius hath most excellently described this Lake in a seuerall Treatise out of the which we haue drawen this our Mappe befitting our purpose Moreouer Cassiodorus in his eleuenth booke of Varieties vnto Gaudiosus hath most exactly painted out the same Benedictus Iouius and Thomas Porcacchius haue written the histories of Como Read also Leander in his Italia and Dominicus Niger in his Geographie The territories and liberties of the Citie of ROME OF the city of Rome sometime the Empresse of the world and Liberties of the same because this place cannot beare so large a description as his worth doth deserue and for that it is better to say nothing at all of it then to say little I thinke it best onely to reckon vp those famous authours which haue written of it at large and to referre thee to them for further satisfaction Of which the more ancient are Q. Fabius Pictor Sex Rufus and P. Victor Of the later writers Blondus in his Italia Fabius Caluus of Rauenna Bartho Marlianus Andreas Fuluius Georgius Fabricius Lucius Faunus Andreas Palladius Pyrrhus Ligorius and Lucius Maurus And very lately Io. Iacobus Boissartus Iacobus Mazochius hath gathered and set out all his old Epigrammes Fuluius Vrsinus the Noble houses and Vlysses Aldroandus the statues of the same Hubertus Goltzius with no lesse art then diligence and great expences hath expressed in forme of a booke the table of his Fasti most cunningly cut in brasse LAKII LACUS VULGO COMENSIS DESCRIPTIO AVCT PAVIO OVIO TERRITORII ROMANI DESCRIP FORI IVLII VVLGO FRIVLI TYPVS TVSCIA THe bounds of Tuscia which in time past was called Hetruria are on the East the riuer Tyber on the West Macra on the South the Mediterran sea on the North the Apennine mountaines It is a most goodly beautifull and pleasant country The people are very ingenious and of a subtile witte indifferently fitte either for peace or warre for all maner of humane litterature or for trades and merchandise The nation hath alwaies been superstitious and much giuen to deuotion in religion as is apparant out of ancient writers The sea coast toward the Tyrrhen or Mediterran sea
Sabellicus Volaterran and Iacobus Zieglerus passing well Stephanus Lusignanus hath in the French tongue written a peculiar booke of this Iland STALAMINE sometime called LEMNOS LEmnos an Iland of the Aegean sea lieth ouer against Thrace Romania between the Peninsula or Neck-land of Thrace and the mount Athon of Macedonie Famous long since for Vulcanes shoppe and now as much talked of for the medicinall earth which of the Physitions is called Terra Lemnia that heere is digged out At this day this ile is called of the Turks and Italians Stalamine It is 100. miles about as Bordonius affirmeth And is a plaine and champion country in respect of the Ilands round about it On the East side as Bellonius reporteth it is leane and no good corne ground between the South and West parts where it is more moist it is much more fertile Anciently it had two cities Myrina and Ephestias this latter is wholly desert and not inhabited is now called Cochino That at this day is a towne of small account situate in a Demy-ile or Peninsula ioined to the Iland by a narrow necke or Isthmos at this day it is called Lemno In this iland as Pliny testifieth there was a Labyrinth the third in estimation from that of Aegypt But Bellonius narrowly seeking for his foundation could not find any mention of it nor any of the country that could shew him any more then certaine pieces of it The same authour affirmeth that there are yet remaining in it 75. villages The earth which anciently was called Sphragida and Terra Lemnia commonly Terra sigillata is now as in old time it was wont digged out of the ground not without a certaine kind of superstitious ceremony euery yeare vpon the sixth day of August and at no time els For vpon paine of death it is decreed that no man either priuately or openly shall go thither to digge out ought The place where it is digged out they call Vulcanes mount Of the kinds of hearbs serpents and fishes which are heere very common and of the ceremonies and with what adoe the earth that is called Terra Lemnia is taken out of the ground and of diuers other peculiar things of this iland read the first booke of P. Bellonius his Obseruations Andreas Matthiolus also out of the letters of Albacarius vnto Angerius Busbechius hath a curious description and discourse of the ceremonies vsed in the digging out of Terra sigillata in those his learned commentaries vpon Dioscorides Of this also read Hodoeporicum Bizantium Hugoris Fauolij He that desireth the old ceremonies of digging out of the same let him haue recourse to Galen his nienth booke and second chapter De Medicam simplic CYPRI INSVLAE NOVA DESCRIPT 1573. Ioannes á Deutecum f. Cum Priuilegio LEMNOS INSVLAE descrÃptÃonem ex Petrà Bellonij libro de AuÃbus hoc Ãn loco tanguam parergon adÃecÃmus GREECE GReece which sometime was as it were the mother and nurce of all good learning and disciplines of a rich and wealthy country and which by his valour and magnanimity was Empresse Prince of the better halfe of the world is at this day driuen to that state such is the mutability and vnconstancy of fortune which turneth all things vpside downe that there is no part of it but either it is subiect to the Turke and enthralled to his slauish seruitude or els it is vnder the command of the Venetians or tributary to them The Turke possesseth the greater part the Venetians do only enioy certaine ilands in that sea Those which are vnder the Venetian gouernment are in better state in respect of Religion than those which are subiect to the Turke Those which are vnder the obedience of the Turke do conforme themselues to their maners as likewise those which are commanded of the Venetians doe imitate the behauiour of the Venetians Yet all of them do liue in such great darkenesse of ignorant blindnesse that in all Greece now there is not one Vniuersity or schoole of liberall sciences neither are they desirous to haue their children taught so much as to write and read And all of them generally do speake their ancient language but much corrupted although some of them do speake more purely then others Yet their moderne language doth come more neere to the old Greeke then the Italian to the Roman or Latin tongue Those which dwell in cities subiect to the Venetian iurisdiction do speake Greeke and Italian but the country people only Greeke those which dwell in cities commanded by the Turke do speake Greeke and the Turkish tongues those in the villages and vpland places only Greeke They haue also at this day as also they had in former ages diuers and different dialects for the people of one prouince do speake more pure they of another shire more barbarously and rudely whereupon that happeneth to this country which is incident to other parts of Europe that one doth mocke and scoffe anothers pronunciation which to his eares seemeth rude and clownish so that the Boies of Constantinople do mocke and laugh at the forreners for their pronunciation and diuers accenting of words different from them Much like as the Italian which speaketh the Tuscane or the French which speaketh French or the Spaniard which speaketh the Castillian languages do flout and hisse at those which are brought vp in other countries of the same kingdomes But that we may set out in the best maner the whole course of life of this nation I thinke it necessary to distinguish the Nobility and citizens from the common people and baser sort of men for they which are of greater reuenews and of better credit do vse the habit and fashion of apparell of those Princes to whom they are subiect so that those which are gouerned by the Venetians do imitate the Venetians those that are subiect to the Turke the Turkes But the common people vnder whose iurisdiction so euer aswell within the maine land as the ilanders do yet retaine something of the old customes of the Greeks for for the most part all of them do weare the haire of their head long behind and short before and do vse great double cappes The Ilanders in the forme of diuine seruice all of them both in rites and ceremonies aswell as in Ecclesiasticall gouernment do not any whit vary one from another All the Greeks generally after the Turkes maner haue not much houshold stuffe neither do they lie vpon feather-beds but in steed of them they vse certaine pillowes stuffed with flocks or wooll All of them do hate delaied wine that is wine mingled with water and to this day they keepe their old custome of carousing and liberall kind of drinking especially the Creets Yet in this they differ from the Germanes in that these prouoke one another to drinke whole cuppes those do sippe and drinke smaller draughts Whereupon Graecari was then and now still is vsed for Inebriari to be drunken But because that in drinking they
aboue 4000. furlongs and where it is narrowest it is 1300. furlongs broad The Prussians Lithuanians and Russians dwell round about it the rest the Liuonian Gulfe doth bound Liuonia conteineth the CVRONES ESTHENI and LETTI nations different both in maners and language In the cities and townes they vse the Saxon or German tongue The country is full of wood plaine and champion without hils or mountaines for the most part lying lay and vnhusbanded notwithstanding that the soile is good and fertile For if you shall except wine and oile and some few other such things which nature yeeldeth to some countries that are situate in a more temperate climate for these only are brought in hither vnto them other things more necessary for the maintenance of mans life are heere found in such great plenty that they do liberally communicate them to strangers and forreiners They haue great plenty of Fish and Deere Munster affirmeth that the Hares in this country do in euery season of the yeare change their colour for in the winter they are white and in the summer they are gray From hence wax hony ashes stone-pitch pix arida liquid pitch the Dutch call it Ther we Tarre and that kind of corne which the Latines call Secale the Germanes Rogghe and we Rie is yearely brought vnto vs in great abundance It hath certaine cities very large and finely built of them the chiefest is RIGA a colonie of the Germanes of the Bishopricke of Breme commodiously seated vpon the riuer Duin It is a goodly Mart towne and the Metropolitane of the whole prouince RIVALIA they vulgarly call it Reuel the Russians Roliua built by Waldemare king of Denmarke famous for his goodly hauen vpon a bay of the Balticke or East-sea This for traffique is not lesse frequented or populous then Riga DORPATVM Derpt neere neighbour to the Russians which call it Iuriongorod The riuer Becke runneth by the walles of this city very commodious for traffique with the Russians This riuer is caried in one channell into the sea which running violently with a great fall from steep rocks worketh the same effect to the people neere adioining as Lewenclay saith that the cataracts or fals of the riuer Nilus did to the Aegyptians which in continuance of time by little and little grow to be deaffish and thicke of hearing Besides these cities there are certaine lesser townes fortified with goodly strong castles VENDA Wenden the more honourable for that heere the Grand-captaine or Master of the order keepeth his court It is situate in the middest of the country Then VELINVM Welum Parnaw vpon the sea Wolmer Veseburgum I thinke they call it Yseborg Wittestein Narua and others Willichius and Cureus do thinke that the Efflui and Limouij did sometime dwell in these quarters Of the forme of gouernment and ordering of their common-wealth which is at the prescript of the knights of the order of the Holy Crosse read Iohn Aubane Munster Lewenclay Gaguine in his Sarmatia and Herberstein out of whom we haue culled these particulars But Crantzius also in his sixth booke of Wandalia is to be read with Oderbornes second booke of the life of Basilidis and Dauid Chytraus his Chronicle of Saxony who hath written of the same with greater diligence than the rest POMERANIA or POMERLAND PEtrus Artopoeus Pomeranus in Munsters Cosmography thus describeth this country his natiue soile POMOERANIA saith he situate vpon the Balticke sea of the first inhabitants in their natiue language that is in the Wandall tongue is called PAMORZI It is still possessed of the first in-borne inhabitants gouerned by their proper Princes and was neuer subdued or made subiect to any forrein iurisdiction It is in all places very fertile well watered with riuers brookes lakes creekes and in-lets from the sea it hath many good hauens rich pastures and good corne grounds it hath great plenty of apples cattell deere fishes foule corne butter cheese hony wax and such like commodities it hath many rich mountaines populous cities townes castels and villages there is no void place or wast ground in it but those which lakes or mountaines do possesse Before Christianity was entertained here they spake the Wandall language and followed their fashions and maner of life vntill such time as they were subdued vnder the command of the Roman Emperours for then together with Religion they began to vse the Saxon tongue which to this day they retaine Thus farre Artopoeus Pomerye in the Wandalian language which is the same with the Slauonian tongue signifieth nothing els as Herberstein affirmeth but neere the sea or a marine coast The banke or sea-wall of this country is so strongly fortified by nature with such a strong rampart that heere is no feare of the sea breaking in to ouerflow them The more famous cities vpon this coast besides some other situate further within the land are Stetin Newgard Stargard c. STETIN sometime was but a small village inhabited by a few poore fishermen but after that Christianity was planted heere about Wineta vtterly destroied and the mart was remoued hither it begun presently so to flourish that now it is become the Metropolitan of the whole country It is most pleasantly seated vpon the banke of the riuer Oder from the which it ariseth by little and little higher vpon the side of an hill It is enclosed with a strong wall and deep trench GRYPSVVALD is a towne in the Dukedome of Wolgast which others do call the Dukedome of Barth this towne being long together much afflicted with ciuill warres was much hindered and impaired but in the yeare 1456. by erecting and placing of an Vniuersity there it began againe by little and little to lift vp the head IVLINVM a towne sometime not inferiour vnto the goodly cities of Europe whether you respect the wealth of the citizens or stately buildings of the same This was sometime a famous mart towne of the Wandalls Such a multitude of merchants did flocke hither from Russia Saxony Laussnitz Meisen and all parts of Wandal-land in such troopes that in all Europe except Constantinople there was scarce such a mart to be found but it was so shaken by the violent warres of the Danes that at last it was almost wholly brought to nothing such is the mutability of vnconstant fortune alwaies delighted in change Now they call it Wollin STRALSVND vpon the sea shore It hath had sometime his proper prince viz. the Duke of Barth It is a city very populous and greatly frequented by Merchants WINETA this sometime was also a city of good reckoning peraduenture it is now called Archon or Iulinum Wollin For the cities of Wandal-land according to the diuersity of languages of sundry nations had their diuers names That which the Wandalls called Stargard the Saxons named Aldenburg and the Danes Bannesia as Crantzius affirmeth But I thinke it good to set down the description of this country which the singular learned man M. Peter Edling sent me from Colberg in this
it hath the Tartars a warlike and stout people from whom it is defended and seuered partly by an artificiall wall made by the hand and labour of man partly by a naturall mountaine which runneth for many hundred miles together between the countries It is a country very fertile of all maner of things necessary for the maintenance of mans life caused not only by the goodnesse of the soile and temperature of the aire but especially by the husbandry and industry of the people For the men heere are not giuen to idlenesse but are very laborious and painefull To be idle heere it is counted a shamefull thing It hath wonderfull store of Gold Siluer and Rheubarbe The sea which beateth vpon this coast and the riuers which runne through the middest of this country do abound with all sorts of fish Vpon the mountaines vales and meddowes infinite flocks of cattell do feed and are maintained The woods forrests and groues are possessed with Bores Foxes Hares Conies Zebellines Martens and diuers other such kind of beasts whose skins are much set by for facings for gownes Of all kinds of birds it yeeldeth maruallous plenty especially of water-foule as is manifest by this that in Canton which is one of the least cities of this prouince there are spent euery day vpon their Tables tenne or twelue thousand Ducks and Geese They sow the drier ground with wheat and barly the wet plaine or moorish grounds withe rise which they cut or reap foure times in a yeare this is their chiefest diet and liuing The higher and steep places and sides of hilles are beset with Pine-trees amongst the which they sow panicke and pulse or horsecorne There is no place therefore no field no plot of ground vnfruitfull Euery where are Orchards Gardens Fruits Roses Floures of all sorts yeelding a most fragrant and pleasant smell and goodly shew to the beholders They plant flax in great abundance euery where whereof they make diuers sorts of linnen whereof they make their apparell but especially Sugar canes which heere groweth in maruellous great abundance and the Mulbery trees for the feeding of their silke wormes which are maintained with the leaues of this tree Tor Silke is the chifest merchandise and commodity whereof they raise yearely an infinite gaine and profit There are in this kingdome 240. goodly cities the names of which do all generally end in the syllable fu which in their language signifieth a city as Cantonfu Panquinfu The townes whereof there is infinite number they likewise end in Cheu Villages which are not to be numbred by reason of the continuall husbandry and tillage are very populous and wonderfully inhabited All their cities for the most part are situate vpon the banke of some great and nauigable streame fortified with broad and deep ditches and very high strong walles These wals from the foundation vpward are made of stone toward the toppe and battlement with bricke laid in steed of lime and mortar with lome or potters clay the same stuffe I meane whereof the China dishes so much esteemed of amongst vs are made The height of them and thicknesse is so great that fiue or six men may walke a breast vpon the toppe of them Vpon the wall are placed heere and there certaine high towers and bulwarkes out of which they may see all the fields ouer farre and neere round about On ech side of the wals so much vacant ground pomoerium the Latines call it is least that horsemen may passe them six and six in a rancke in battell aray These wals are so close and soundly wrought without any rifts or chinks that one would thinke them to haue been but newly made when as their histories do testifie them to haue been built two thousand yeares since The entrance into the cities is by great gates most wonderfully and stately built Their streets are as smooth and precisely plaine as if they were altogether made by line and leuell and are so large and broad that tenne yea fifteene horsemen may ride a breast through them which in many and sundry places are parted and seuered with stately triumphall arches gracing the cities beyond all measure Certaine Portugals do report that they saw in the city Fucho a turrette standing vpon forty marble pillars whose height were forty hand breadth and the thickenesse twelue after the measure which the Architects vse This they affirme in their iudgement for greatnesse for exquisite workemanship beauty and costlinesse doth farre exceed all the stately buildings of all Europe The greatnesse of their cities we do gather by this that they say the city Canton which we said was one of the least of their cities is twelue English miles in compasse beside 355. suburbes which do belong to it very great and populous The people are broad and round faced thinne haired flatte nosed and small eied although there be some amongst them reasonable well fauoured and handsome men The colour of their faces is somewhat like that of those which inhabite Europe yet those which dwell about Canton are of a browne complexion They seldome or neuer trauell further than their owne country neither will they easily suffer a stranger to dwell amongst them especially in the vpland places except they be publikely sworne to be true vnto the King and Country The wealthy and better sort of men haue all their apparell made of silke of diuers and sundry colours The base and meaner sort do weare a kind of stuffe made of white or blacke cotton and sometime linnen coloured or stained with party colours for as yet in these parts they know not how to make wollen cloth The men there as women do heere do weare their haire long which they winde vp in a knot to the crowne of their head where they bind and fasten it with a siluer bodkin The women comb their haire very trimly and do behang and set it out with gold spangles and diuers kind of pearles and pretious stones They paint and besmeare their faces with complexion such as the Spanish women do commonly vse They neuer once looke out of dores except they be carried in their littars vpon mens shoulders and attended by all the family CHINAE olim Sinarum regionis noua descriptio auctore Ludouico Georgio Cum priuilegio Imperatoris Regis Brabantiae ad decennium 1584. Concerning the faith and religion of this nation it is thus They do beleeue all earthly creatures and all things in the World and the gouernment and disposition of them to depend of Heauen and Heauenly powers For they do thinke that Heauen is the greatest of all Gods and therefore the character of it possesseth the first place of their alphabet They worship the Sunne the Moone and the Stars yea the very Diuell himselfe which they paint in the same forme as wee do heere in Europe that hee may do them no hurt as they say They haue stately and sumptuous Churches aswell in the country as in their cities They haue
ditch wall or rampart Yet it is apparant out of the description of this prouince done by Iohn Leo Africanus that there be diuers other cities beside these although they be not very strong For in his eighth booke of the description of Africke he reckoneth vp thirty and two beside certaine other villages which he describeth according to their name and situation Of Egypt thou maist read in the description of the Holy Land set forth by Brocard toward the latter end of the same as also in Bellonius Obseruations Guillandine and Niger Of Nilus read Goropius and Nugarola beside that which ancient writers haue written of it which thou shalt see in our Mappe of old Egypt The Hauen of CARTHAGE IT is not our purpose to describe CARTHAGE that famous city and next after Rome the only glory of the world which so long bearded the Romanes and stood out against all forren subiection but because we saw this his Bay to be set out in Italy in this forme I thought it would be a thing wel-pleasing the learned student of Geography to ioine the same also to this our worke together with this discourse of Paulus Iouius written of the same Such is the forme of the Bay of Carthage that the entrance into it is not to be descried by such as saile thitherward from the maine sea for that the cape Clupea called of old writers Mercuries Foreland or Fairenesse stretcheth out it selfe farre into the West and againe winding it selfe and bending inward maketh another cape sometimes called Apolloes Foreland now the sailours call it Zafranio From thence vnto the straits of Goletto it is redoubled in maner of an halfe moone and at the left hand of the city Rada Raba the chart hath famous for hot bathes of soueraigne vertue it leaueth the country Ouer against which are to be seene the ruines of old Carthage and the place where it stood Thus farre Iouius But the places neere adioining are described more particularly in Iohn Leo Africanus NATOLIAE QVAE OLIM ASIA MINOR NOVA DESCRIPTIO AEGYPTI RE CENTIOR DE SCRIPTIO CARTHAGINIS CELEBERRIMY SINVS TYPVS ETHIOPIA or ALHABAS The country of ABYSSINES or The Empire of PRESTER IOHN THe same whom we in Europe call Presbyter Iohn or Priest Iohn the Moores call ATICI ABASSI themselus that is the Abyssines or Ethiopians ACEGVE and NEGVZ that is Emperour and King for his proper name is arbitrarily giuen him as heere we vse in Europe at the discretion of the parents It seemeth also that at his coronation he changeth his name like as the Popes of Rome vse at this day to do and together with his crowne to take vnto him another proper appellation for he which in our remembrance possessed the throne and made a league of amity with the King of Portugall was called before his coronation Atani Tingal but after he had taken vpon him the Emperiall diademe he was named Dauid This Prester Iohn out of doubt in this our age is one of the greatest Monarches of the World whose kingdome lying between the two Tropickes reacheth from the Red-sea almost vnto the Ethiopian ocean and that we may somewhat more precisely set downe the bounds of this Empire for as much as we can gather out of the surueihgs of the same made and set forth by some learned men of our time it hath vpon the North Egypt which now is vnder the command of the Turke on the east it abutteth vpon the Red sea and Barbaricum sinum Pliny calleth it Troglodyticum sinum others Asperum mare the rough sea the seamen at this day vulgarly Golfo de Melinde on the South it is strongly by nature fensed and enclosed by Montes Lunae the mountaines of the Moone on the West it is confined by the kingdome of Nubia and the riuer Nilus These bounds do seeme to containe that prouince which old writers called Ethiopia beneath Egypt together with Troglodytis Cinnamomifera regio the country where in those daies Cinnamon grew most plentifull with part of the inner Libya These countries now are diuided into many smaller prouinces and are called by diuers and sundrie names as thou maist see in the Mappe These countrie people are at this day generally of all our moderne Historiographers called ABYSSINI or as themselues with the Arabians round about them pronounce the word Hhabas and with Al the Arabicke article or pronoune prefixed Alhabas as Beniamin reporteth and Abexim as Garcias ab Horto affirmeth all which wordes indeed originally are the same and do only differ either in sound or maner of writing for the Eastern Hheth a letter I meane proper to those nations and barbarous to vs borne in Europe the West part of the World is diuerslly expressed by diuers as they do well know which know ought in the Hebrew Arabicke Syrian and Ethiopicke languages sometimes by our single h sometime by the double hh otherwise by ch others do wholly omit it as not finding any letter in that language in which they write that is of that nature and power whereby they may truly expresse the same Again the last letter of the same word which the Hebrewes and Arabians call Schin is sometime expressed by sh sometime by ss or by the Spanish x which they sound almost like our sh and sometimes by s or z. For thus I find the word written often in the holy Scriptures translated into Arabicke and Habashi and Alhabassi Psalm 68.32 and 74.14 Item in Gen. 2.13 where Ardzi ' lhabas the land of Ethiopia is the same that Auicenna in the 283. chapter of the second tract of his second booke calleth B'ledi'lhhabashah the country of the Abyssines or as our fathers named it India Occidentalis the West Indies the interpetour Gerardus Cremonensis hath Terras alhabes Bellunensis hath Terras Indiae minoris the countries of the Abyssines or of the lesser India Heere also it is worth the obseruing that this word out of all doubt had his originall from the Hebrew שוכ Cush whereby they did long since call this nation and people as it is apparant out of Gen. 10.5 and 2.13 by the iudgement of all Interpreters Grammarians and Iewish Rabbines For the Hebrew ו or vaw which indeed and in his owne nature is the same with our w is pronounced of some nations in some cases like the Germane v or v consonant as they call it somewhat like the sound of b altogether the same with that pronunciation of the Hebrew Beth when it followeth a vowell as the modern Grammarians and Iewish Rabbines do now teach According to which custome it is not vnlikely but that this word שוכ which the Iewes sounded Cush some other nations might pronounce and vowell thus שוח chauash chabaas habas or Abyssi And indeed the Asians generally and they themselues as Ortelius citeth out of Iosephus do call themselues Chusaeos and as he reporteth from the relation of the reuerend B. Arias Montanus Hispalensis they are euen to this day of
Caliabria Calucula Carabis Carbulo Careo Carruca Castax Castra gemina Castra vinaria Cedrippo Certima Cimbis Cinniana Cisembrium Colenda Colobona Coplanium Cotinas Crabalia Cusibi Danium Dia Dumium Eiscadia Erisane Fabreseense Gemella Gruâ—nus Helingas Hellenes Hippo Hippo Carausiarum Ibem Ilipa minor Ilipula Laus Illurco Ilucia Indica Ipasturgi Ituci Iulia cognomine Concordia Iul. Constantia Iul. Contributa Iul. Fidentia Iul. Restituta Lancia Transoudana Lenium Magala Malia Marcolica Massia Moron Merucra Nobilia Nuditanum Olitingi Olone Onoba Opsicella Osintigi Ossigi Ossigitania Oxthraca Sacvuna Saepona Saon Segeda Segestica Serippo Sicane Silpia Sitia Soricaria Soritia Tabeta Tarscium Transsucunus Tribola Turba Turobrica Tutia Velia Ventisponte Vergentum Vergium Vescelia Vesciveca Vesperies Victoria portuo Vrbicuà Vxena MONTES Sacer Ydrus FLVMINA Chalybs Silicense FONTES Tamarici et quaedam Antonini item Avieni Horum omnium situm quamvis ignorarem abesse tamen ab hac tabula iniquum putari In omni enim vetere historia veterem voco ad Caroli Magni usque tempora omnium huius regionis locorum vocabula exprimere valui ni fallor â—â—pressi Si quae autem doctori in en deesse videbuntur erunt fortassè horum querundam synonyma de quibus omnibus in nostro Thesaure geographico Without the limits of the maine land or continent of Spaine there is a part of this country called INSVLARIS or BALEARIVM that is The Spanish iles or the Baleares For this part of Spaine consisteth altogether of ilands The names of those which do lie in the Ocean or Maine sea are these GADES now Caliz IVNONIS insula GERYONIS monumentum S. Pedro a little ile betweene Caliz and the maine land LONDOBRIS ouer against Portugall now knowen by the name of Barlinguas CORTICATA AVNIOS DEORVM insulae peraduenture those which they now call Islas de Baiona and the faigned CASSITERIDES in this tract For these famous ilands are indeed those which our seamen call The Sorlings belonging to the crowne of England as we haue shewed before In the Midland sea are these following the two BALEARES the Greater and the Lesser MALLORCA and MENORCA the two PITYVSAE to wit EBVSVS now Yuica or as some terme it Ibissa and OPHIVSA SCOMBRARIA Cabo di Palos COLVBRARIA Moncolobrer CAPRARIA Cabrera TIQVADRA Coneiera PLVMBARIA PLANESIA and MAENARIA all of them except only the Baleares and Gades small ilands and of none account Gades was much renowmed and famous long since by meanes of the fables of Hercules and Geryon feigned by Poets to haue been acted heere as also for that the long liued king Arganthonius who was before his death 300. yeares old did sometime keepe his court heere The Baleares were much talked of by reason the Ilanders were counted good slingers best experienced and skilfull in that weapon called by the Romanes Funda But especially it was much spoken of by meanes of the great famine and dearth that there was caused by conies of which there was sometime in these Ilands such wonderfull store and abundance that old stories do testifie that the country people were forced to entreat of Augustus Caesar a military aid and band of men to helpe to destroy them keepe them from breeding and spreading any further Pliny compareth the winds of these Ilands with the best that are made of Italian grapes I do verily beleeue that Seruius vpon the 7. booke of Virgils Aeneids did mistake the matter when he writeth that Geryon did rule as king of the Baleares and the Pityusaes For all other writers do affirme that he reigned and kept his court about Gades Except in defence of Seruius one should alledge this saying of Trogus In parte Hispaniae quae ex insulis constat regnum penes Geryonem fuit that is In a part of Spaine which consisteth altogether of ilands Geryon swaied the scepter and ruled as soueraigne king But that he spake this of Gades and the iland not farre from it in the maine sea the wonderfull pastorage and rankenesse which he ascribeth to these is a sufficient argument and proofe which by no meanes may be verified of the Baleares Againe Solinus plainly testifieth for me that Bocchoris and not Geryon did reigne in the Baleares But his owne words may perhaps please thee better therefore listen thus he speaketh Bocchoris regnum Baleares fuerunt vsque ad euersionem Phrygum cuniculis animalibus quondam copiosae In capite Baeticae vbi extremus est NOTI ORBIS terminus insula à septingentis passibus separatur quam Tyrij à Rubro profecti mari ERYTHRAEAM Poeni sua lingua GADIR id est sepem nominarunt In hac Geryonem habitasse plurimis monumentis probatur tametsi quidam putent Herculem boues ex alia insula abduxisse quae Lusitaniam contuetur Thus rudely in English The Baleares where Bocchoris vntill the ouerthrow of the Phrygians raigned and held his court were sometime wonderfully full of Conies In the entrance and head of Baetica which is the outmost bound of the KNOVVEN WORLD there is an iland which is distant from the maine land threescore and tenne pases This the Tyrians come from the Redsea called ERYTHRAEA or The Red iland but the Poeni or Carthaginians in their language named it GADIR that is The hedge Heere Geryon did sometime dwell as monuments and antiquities do strongly prooue although some do thinke that Hercules did cary the Oxen from another iland which lieth ouer against Lusitania Thus farre Solinus Obserue heere that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gader in the ancient language of the Iewes and Giadir in the moderne tongue of the farre-conquering Arabians doth signifie an hedge enclosure or fence Beside these forenamed ilands knowen to the ancient and best writers Sextus Rufus Auienus reciteth others by these names OESTRYMNIDES ARCHALE POETANION AGONIDA CARTARE STRONGILE and LVNAE These because no man else doth seeme to know or take notice of peraduenture may be some of those which Pliny termeth mari vadoso paruas Small ilands or shelues in the shallow sea and are in number well neere twenty What if to these I should adioine CROMYVSA and MELVSSA certaine ilands vpon the coast of Spaine as Stephanus citeth out of Hecataeus his Cosmography Of TRANSFRETANA or TINGITANA Hispania that other part I meane of Spaine beyond the streights called Tingitania because it did only in name and vsurpation not indeed and of right belong to Spaine as also for that it is thus Pomponius Melawriteth of it Regio ignobilis vix quidquam illustre sortita paruis opidis habitatur parua flumina emittit solo quam viris melior segnitiae gentis obscura Abase country and hath scarce any good thing in it worth the speaking of It hath no famous cities but small ragged townes and villages The riuers which runne through it are very small and not nauigable yet the soile is better than the men For the slouththfulnesse and cowardice of the people hath made the country the more obscure I will speake nothing
sunt Condrusi Trevirorum clientes Vbij ceteris humaniores horum civitas florens et ampla AQVITANI hominum multitudo his optima gens ad bellum gerendum Sontiates hi equitatu plurimum valent The LOW COVNTRIES THe word Belgium which Caesar in his Commentaries of the warres of France vseth more than once or twise hath long and much troubled the Readers For some of them do thinke that Caesar by it meant a city which some of whose number are Guicciardine and Marlianus do interpret it to be Beauois in France others Bauays in Henault of this later sort are B. Vigâ—nereus and our owne Chronicles The learned Goropius thinketh that the Bellouaci a people of this prouince were vnderstood by it Some there are which thinke that Caesar vsed Belgium for Belgica as Liuy doth Samnium for the countrie of the Samnites of this opinion was Glareanus Iohn Rhellicane saith that it conteined a part of Gallia Belgica but which part it should be he doth not name H. Leodius would haue it to be that part which is about Henault where the said Bauays now standeth But omitting these opinions let vs heare what Caesar himselfe speaketh of this his Belgium Hee in his 5. booke where he speaketh of the distributing of the Legions in Belgia hath these words Of the which one he committed to Quintus Fabius the Legate to be led against the Morini another to Quintus Cicero against the Neruij the third to Titus Roscius against the Essui the fourth he commanded to winter with Titus Labienus in Rhemes in the confines of Triers three he placed in Belgium ouer these he set as commanders Marcus Crassus the Treasurer and Lucius Munatius Plancus and Caius Trebonius the Legates one legion which he had taken vp hard beyond the Po with fiue cohorts he sent against the Eburones And a little aboue in the same booke where he speaketh of Britannia you shall find these wordes The sea coast of Britaine he meaneth is inhabited of those which by reason of pillage and warre went from Belgium thither all which for the most part are called by the names of those cities where they were bred and borne Heere first it appeareth very plainly that Caesar vnder the name of Belgium comprehendeth not only one city but many then that he vnderstandeth not by it all Gallia Belgica seeing that he nameth the Morini Neruij Essui Rheni and Eburones all which nations he himselfe and other good writers do ascribe to Gallia Belgicae Therefore it is more cleare than the noone day that Belgium is a part of Belgica but what part it should be that is not so cleare That it is not about Bauacum Bauais in Henault as Leodius would haue it it is manifest in that that this is situate amongst the Neruij which Caesar himselfe doth exclude out of Belgium Neither can I be perswaded that it was neere the Bellouaci but rather that it was that part of Belgica which is more neere the sea and lieth vp higher toward the North namely where about the three great riuers the Rhein Maese and Scheldt do meet and fall into the maine ocean these do affoord an easie passage and fall into the sea and from thence a short cut into Britaine Moreouer it is more likely that they should passe the sea which were acquainted and vsed to it and were seated vpon this shore and bankes of these riuers then those which dwelt vp higher into the country to whom the sea was more fearefull and terrible They therefore that went from Belgium into Brittaine did only change coast for coast Of the originall and reason of the word Belgium and Belgica the opinions of sundrie writers are diuers Some there are which deriue it of Belgen or Welgen a word of our owne which signifieth a stranger Another man of great learning and iudgement fetcheth it from Belgen or Balgen signifying to be angrie to fight Our Chronicles do thinke it so named of Belgis the chiefe city of this prouince Neither do they agree in the placing and seating of it for one of them placeth it at Bauais a towne in Henault the other at Veltsick a village about Oudenard They which thinke it so named of the city Belgis which notwithstanding is no where else read of in any good authour either Geographer or Historian they haue Isidore in the 4. chapter of the 13. booke of his Origines for their patrone where he thus speaketh Belgis is a city of Gallia whereof Gallica the prouince tooke the name The same hath Hesychius the Grecian before him in his Lexicon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Belgy was so named of the city Belges as also Honorius in his counterfeit of the world Iustine in his 24. booke citeth out of Trogus Pompeius one Belgius Pausanias nameth him Bolgius a captaine of the Gauls from whom it is like they tooke their name if you will beleeue Berosus that chaungling For he writeth Beligicos siue Belgicos appellari à Beligio aut Belgio Celtarum rege The Beligici or Belgici were so named of Beligius or Belgius a king of the Celtes Of the city Belgis we haue written in our Geographicall Treasury Well let vs leaue these to the censure of the learned and so proceed to certaine testimonies of ancient writers which we thinke wil be both pleasant and profitable to the student of Chorography Caesar in his 1. booke of the warres of France thus speaketh All GALLIA is diuided into 3. parts of the which the Belgae do inhabite one the Aquitani another the third those which in their language are called Celtae but in the Latine Galli Againe within a few lines after Of all these the Belgae are most stout and hardy because that being further off from the quaint behauiour and maners of the prouince and for that they haue no trafficke with merchants or such as do bring in those things which effeminate mens mindes againe because they are next neighbours to the Germanes which dwell beyond the Rhein with whom they make warre continually Item in the same page he thus describeth the situation of their country The Belgae do dwell in the skirts of Gallia they do belong to that part which is within the riuer Rhein they are vpon the North and East sides of it The same authour in his 2. booke hath these words Caesar found that many of the Belgae came from the Germanes which long since passed ouer the Rhein and seated themselues there by reason of the great fertility of the place and that they had driuen out the Gauls which formerly had dwelled there and that these were the onely men which in the daies of our fathers all Gallia being sore troubled kept the Teutones and Cimbres from entering within the lists of their territories whereupon it came to passe that the memoriall and record of these their famous acts haue made them to take much vpon them and to be highly conceited of their great stomacks and skill in martiall affaires Suet. in
Entribae Erasinij Gondrae quae et Cyndrae et Rondaei Hypselitae Ligyrij Maduateni Mypsaei Podargi Priantoe Pyrogeri Sabi Satro centae Scaeboae Sindonaei Trisplae MONTES Cissene Dunax Edonus Ganos Gigemorus Libethrius Melamphyllon Meritus Mimas Nerisum Pindus Zilmissus FLVVII Aristibus Cebrinus Cius Cyndon Edon Zorta VICI Aliphera Asae SINVS Bennicus NEMVS Abroleua FONS Inna CAMPVS Areos pagos Plura erant his addenda uti quoque in ipsa tabula referenda ex Zonara Cedreno Nicephoro ceterisque Byzantinae historiae graecis scriptorib at quia hos inter veteres non numero consulto omisi Cum Imp. et Belgico privilegio decennali 1585. round vntill they die In this countrie is the riuer Cochryna of whose water if any sheepe do drinke they bring foorth none but blacke lambes Between Byzantium Constantinople and the Chersonesus there is an hill which they call The holy mount neere to which the sea oftentimes carieth vpon the top of his waters a kinde of slimy substance called of the Latines Bitumen In Agria a shire of this country the riuer Pontus carieth downe in his channell certaine stones much like vnto coales which being kindled and water cast vpon them they burne the better but being blowne with bellowes they go quite out There is no manner of vermine or venemous creatures that can abide the smell of this kinde of siring Amongst the Cinchropsoses there is a fountaine of whose water whosoeuer shall drinke they die immediately In Botiaea there groweth a stone which by the heat or reuerberation of the Sunne beames kindleth and casteth foorth sparks and flames of fire Plutarch writeth that there is a spring not farre from the hill Pangaeus of whose waters if one fill one and the same vessell and then weight it he shall finde it to be twise so heauy in the winter as it was in the summer Plutarch whom Tzetzes calleth The yonger another nameth him Parthenicus reporteth certaine things of the herbe Cythara the stones Pansilypus and Philadelphi found in the riuers Ebrus and Strymon which because they are more like to fables than true stories I do in this place willingly omit To reckon vp heere the seuerall Nations Mountaines Riuers or Cities of this country I thinke it nothing necessary because they are at one view better to be seene in the Mappe it selfe Yet of the city Byzantium now Constantinople for that it is sooft mentioned in ancient histories to say nothing at all for that we do in some sort hold it an iniury I thinke it not amisse to write these few lines following of the description of it The first founder of BYZANTIVM which was also in times past called LYGOS was as Trogus and Eustathius do thinke one Pausanias a Captaine of the Spartanes and that as Cassiodorus writeth at such time as Numa Pompilius was king of the Romanes It was so called of Byzantes the sonne of Ceroessas a captaine of the Megareans whom Eustathius affirmeth to haue beene the vprightest and most iust man that euer the earth did beare This city is situate vpon an high cliffe at the narrowest place of Bosphorus Thracius the frith or streights of Constantinople in a very fertile soile and vpon a fruitfull and commodious sea fertili solo foecundo salo as Tacitus writeth In respect of which situation being strongly fortified by nature it is thought to be almost inuincible Whereupon Trebellius Pollio calleth it claustrum Ponticum The blocke-house of Pontus Orosius termeth it Principem gentium the soueraigne of all Nations Sextus Rufus Arcem secundam Romani orbis The second bulwarke or fortresse of the Romane Empire Procopius Arcem Europae Asiae obicem ponentem The Castle of Europe and barre against Asia Themistocles Euphrada Magnificentiae officinam The shop of all manner of brauery and courtlike fashions and Ouid he calleth it Vastam gemini maris ianuam The huge gate of the two seas to wit Propontis Mar di marmora and Pontus Euxinus Mar maiore For the rampart and wals of it which Pausanias and both the Dions so highly commend were so strong that the Athenians vsed in former times as the same Eustathius writeth to cary all their goods and treasure thither and there to bestow it holding it to be a place impregnable and not to be surprized by any enemy whatsoeuer Of the great felicity of this city you may read many things worth the obseruation in diuerse ancient writers especially in Polybius Herodian Xiphiline Dion Prusens and Themistocles Euphrada in his sixth oration who deemeth the citizens thereof to be most happie men both for the goodly riuer which passeth by it temperature of the aire fertility of the soile wherein it standeth capacious hauen and creeke of the sea gorgeous church and stately wals of the same Heerupon grew that daintinesse luxury drunkennesse and wantonnesse of these people which vices of theirs are noted by Athenaeus in the tenth booke of his Deipnosophiston and Aelianus in the foureteenth chapter of the third booke of his varia historia This city fortune often frowning vpon it was sometimes possessed of the Spartans or Lacedemonians after that it was vnder the command of the Athenians Then shaking off their yoke it began by a little and a little to chalenge vnto it selfe a kinde of soueraignty and freedome from any forren iurisdiction which it held for a while vntill Vespasian the Romane Emperour subdued it and reduced it vnto the forme of a prouince While it thus stoode vnder the command of the Romanes it was by Septimius Seuerus who held on Nigers side assaulted battered raced to the ground and of a goodly flourishing city made a poore and beggerly village and withall was adiudged to belong vnto the Perinthij But Antonius Caracalla Seuerus his sonne restored them to their ancient liberties and was called by the name of ANTONIA as Eustathius testifieth Yet for Antonia that I may note this by the way an ancient brasse coine of the Emperour Seuerus which I haue doth teach vs that it ought to be read Antoninia For vpon this peece of money was stamped ΑÎΤΟÎΕΙÎΙΑ ΒΥΖΑÎΤΙΩΠΣΕΒΑΣΤΑ that is Antoninia the Emperiall city of the Bizantini But after this it was againe wasted by Gallienus the Emperour and all the citizens and garrison souldiers thereof slaine and put to the sword Yet for feare least the Scythians Getes and other barbarous nations might breake in to the Romane territories on that side it was againe reedified repaired and fortified by the same Emperour But Constantine worthily in deed and name surnamed the Great did yet farre more strongly fortifie it and adorne it with the most goodly temple of Santa Sophia and moreouer gracing it with many stately ornaments and curious workes of Architecture which he caused to be brought out of Asia Africa Europe yea and from Rome it selfe and after his owne name by proclamation caused it to be intituled and called by the name of CONSTANTINOPOLIS that is Constantines city Item he tooke it from the
the Cup-bearer the Second is the COVNTY PALATINE of Rhein the Sewer the Third is the DVKE OF SAXONY the Sword-bearer the Fourth is the MARQVESSE OF BRANDENBVRG the Lord Great Chamberlaine to the Emperour In the Second ranke doe follow first the Foure Dukes of the Empire to wit the DVKE OF SVVITZERLAND the DVKE OF BRVNSVVICKE the DVKE OF BAYERN and the DVKE OF LOREIN Then vpon the left hand the Foure MARQVESSES videlicet the MARQVISSE OF MEISSEN the MARQVESSE OF MORAVV the MARQVESSE OF BADEN and the MARQVESSE OF BRANDENBVRG In the Third and last ranke do follow the Eight EARLES of the Empire whereof the LANDTGRAVE OF DVRINGEN the LANDGRAVE OF HESSEN the Earles of LVCHTENBVRG and of ALSATIA are Earles Prouinciall the other Foure MEIDENBVRG NVRVBERG RENECK and STOMEBVRG are Earles Marshall or of the field ORDINES SACRI ROMANI IMP AB OTTONE III INSTITVTI Of the FOVNDATION and ORDER of the GERMANE EMPIRE in the West THE SECOND MAPPE OTTO the Fourth or as some haue written OTTO the Third of whom wee haue spoken in the former Mappe vnderstanding that Gregory the Fifth Pope of Rome whom he had not long since promoted to that dignity was driuen out of his Sea and Crescentius a Consul or Alderman of Rome by the Romanes made Emperour passeth the Alpes with a great power furiously assaulteth Italy forceth the Romanes and any other cities that had stood out against him for the aduerse part to set open their gates and to yeeld themselues to his mercy Crescentius when he heard that the enemy was receiued into the city was exceedingly amazed and therefore betaketh himselfe with Pope Iohn the vsurper which he had promoted to that dignity vnto Adrians castle which not long before he had fortified and repaired for their last refuge and succour But being not able to sustaine the batterie and violent assaults which dayly the Emperours souldiers made against him at length yeeldeth the castle and himselfe to Otto who presently commandeth Crescentius the authour of this commotion to haue his eies put out his nose cut off and to be caried on horsebacke round about the towne with his face to the horsetaile This being done his iudgement was to haue his hands and feet to be cut off and at the townes end to be hanged vpon a paire of gallowes where before he was altogether dead the souldiers do pitifully wound and mangle him from top to toe Moreouer Pope Iohn the vsurper being displaced Gregory vpheld and maintained by Otto the Emperours authority climbeth vp againe into the Papall throne from which before he had most iniuriously by Crescentius beene expelled Then Gregory to requite the kindnesse of the Emperour and his Germanes and withall that he might sufficiently reuenge himselfe of the Romanes for the intolerable wrongs that they had done vnto him consulteth with the Emperour about a new law and forme of election of the Emperour to be made by the Princes of Germany that this choice might only and for euer remaine in their power and againe that they should alwaies choose one of their corporation or body as it were vnto that dignity which custome remaineth euen to these our daies duely kept and obserued By vertue of this their choice he is by and by vpon that their election to be called only CAESAR and KING OF THE ROMANES but hauing receiued the Imperiall diademe from the hands of the Pope he was euer after to beare the title of IMPERATOR AVGVSTVS But before these ordinances were published Otto calling together the Princes and States of Germany shewed them how confusedly and disorderly the choice and election of the Emperor had hitherto beene made and how many there haue beene which haue assaied by all meanes possible to preferre their friends and kinsfolke vnto that dignity which thing cannot but in continuance of time breed great dissention and danger to the Christian common-wealth and that it were therefore good that some of the Princes of Germanie were chosen which might haue the whole power and authority of this election and withall admonisheth them that the fewer there were of those Electours so much lesse the contention would be that should arise about the choice Moreouer he endeuoured to perswade them that these Electours might bee appointed and taken out of the Peeres and Officers of the Empire for that they of all other best knew what was good for the body and state of that kingdome and empire All men generally liking of that course and counsell by him proposed the Emperour and the Pope nominated vnto them first Three ecclesiasticall Princes bishops of Germany which they wished might be the Lord Chiefe Chancellours of the Empire to wit The bishop of Mentz for all matters in Germany The bishop of Colen for Italy The bishop of Trier for France To these they adioined Foure Secular Princes which should in all things aid the Emperour attend vpon his person and that should acknowledge him for their Lord and Monarch of the World viz. The Duke of Saxony Sword bearer to his Maiesty signifying that hee is the fountaine of Iustice The Marquesse of Brandenburgh Lord Great Chamberlaine The County Palatine of Rhein Sewer and The K ng of Bohemia Cup-bearer these were to attend vpon the Emperour and to gard his person By these the King of the Romans was chosen the Caesar or he that was next to be Emperour was appointed in their hands the whole right interest and authority of choosing that king resided lest any man heereafter as heeretofore had beene vsuall should challenge this dignity vnto himselfe as due by inheritance from his ancestours Charles the Fourth many yeares after this comprised this instrument or act into a bullion or tablet of gold which to this day is extant wherein hee explaned euery particular more expresly and significantly It is reported that this ordinance was decreed vpon and made in the yeare of Grace 1001 and did much discontent the Frenchmen who tooke it heinously as a great indignity offered vnto them Yet beside these there were then and afterward in succedent ages were made many and sundry other ordinances and decrees in the Romane Empire and diuers other Offices appointed and erected for the state and greater maiesty of the Empire For beside these seuen Electours there were appointed Foure Dukes Foure Marquesses Foure Landtgraues Foure Burggraues Foure Earles Foure Barons Foure Knights of the field Foure Cities Foure Villages and Foure Yeomen or Rusticks all which offices we haue expressed in their true characters in these two mappes appointed for that purpose only Notwithstanding other Emperours following not content with these constitutions and ordinances haue daiely made new Dukes and Earles yea and many that were but Earles before they haue aduanced to the title and honour of Dukes To these forenamed dignities that they might as much as was possible strengthen the state of the Empire they haue adioined certaine other new officers to wit these which follow Foure HIGH MARSHALS as